Analysis of a women's health information website established by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

BACKGROUND

Women's health is significantly influenced by the appropriate and timely secretion of female sex steroid hormones. Consequently, awareness of hormonal fluctuations at various life stages is crucial. In 2016, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare launched the HealthCareLabo (https://w-health.jp/) interactive women's health information website.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate user behavior on the website from its inception in March 2016 to December 2022 to enhance its quality and effectiveness.

DESIGN

Retrospective web research.

METHODS

Data analysis used Google Analytics to examine website engagement metrics, the number of pages visited per session, feature utilization rates, use access methods, and geographic locations.

RESULTS

Over the 6-year study period, HealthCareLabo attracted 21,575,636 unique users, 26,200,559 sessions, and 53,595,955 page views. Returning users accounted for 10.7%, with an average of 2.05 pages viewed per session and an average session duration of 48 s. "Bounce rate" refers to the proportion of visitors who leave a website after viewing a single page without engaging further. The bounce rate of 67.75% suggests users did not find the content relevant, comprehensible, and actionable. The most frequently accessed page was "Self-check for All Women's Diseases," accounting for 10.95% of total page views. Notably, 64.19% of users were aged 25-44. The bounce rate increased with age, while the average session duration and pages viewed per session decreased. Traffic via social media had the highest average time on pages, most page views, and the lowest bounce rate. Among the top 10 Google Search queries leading to the website, four were related to BMI, with "BMI female" ranking highest and achieving a click-through rate of 48.53%. The Self-check feature was widely utilized, particularly for premenstrual syndrome, with 66% of respondents aged 25-44.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that women of reproductive age are particularly attentive to health-related concerns, including body image and premenstrual syndrome. HealthCareLabo serves as an effective platform for promoting health literacy, with its Self-check feature playing a pivotal role in user engagement.