The purpose of this study was to develop a health information web site evaluation categories with items for diabetes mellitus in order to offer verified health information, and to propose directions for development of web sites.

A preliminary evaluation categories with items was developed using domestic and foreign web site evaluation standards for health information and through a review of the literature. The evaluation categories with items was composed of 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. Through expert validity tests and a feasibility test of the preliminary tool, the health information Web site evaluation tool for diabetes mellitus was finalized.

This evaluation categories with items included 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. 'Evaluation for web site attributes' included 8 categories with 28 items. The 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus' included 7 categories with 40 items. 'Evaluation component for content' and 'evaluation of category content' included 4 items on 'accuracy', 6 on 'harmfulness' and 3 on 'comprehensibility'.

From this study guidelines are propose for providing health information for diabetes mellitus, so that health information providers will be able to offer consumers verified good quality health information themselves.