NIHSeniorHealth, a Web site with formats and topics specially tailored to the needs of older people, has won a 2004 Industry Innovators Awards from the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), the world’s largest trade association for the senior fitness and wellness industry. 

“These award winners provide inspiring examples of the many approaches possible to support the health and well-being of older adults in our society,” commented ICAA chief executive officer Colin Milner. “What they share is the demonstrated excellence and creativity that makes them leaders in their particular areas.”

One of the fastest growing age groups using the Internet, older Americans increasingly turn to the World Wide Web for health information. In fact, 66 percent of “wired” seniors surf for health and medical information when they go online.

NIHSeniorHealth was launched in 2003 by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), to address the special health concerns of people in this group. The site features large print and short, easy-to-read segments of information repeated in a variety of formats, such as open-captioned videos and short quizzes to increase the likelihood it will be remembered. NIHSeniorHealth also has a “talking” function, which allows users the option of reading the text or listening to it as it is read to them.