The Digital Health Divide: Evaluating Online Health Information Access and Use Among Older Adults

Objective. Innovations in health information technology (HIT) provide opportunities to reduce health care spending, improve quality of care, and improve health outcomes for older adults. However, concerns relating to older adults' limited access and use of HIT, including use of the Internet for...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education & behavior Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 202 - 209
Main Authors: Hall, Amanda K., Bernhardt, Jay M., Dodd, Virginia, Vollrath, Morgan W.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2015
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects:
Access to Computers
Access to Information
Adults
Age Differences
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging (Individuals)
Attitude to Computers
Clinical outcomes
Computers
Consumer Health Information - methods
Consumer Health Information - statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disadvantaged
Education
Educational Attainment
Educational programs
Educational systems
Female
Florida
Health behavior
Health care
Health care expenditures
Health education
Health information
Health planning
Health Services
Health status
Humans
Information sources
Information technology
Information Utilization
Innovations
Internet
Internet access
Laptop Computers
Male
Medical technology
Middle Aged
Older Adults
Older people
Personal computers
Portable computers
Quality of care
Respondents
Self Efficacy
Sex Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Surveys
Technological change
Florida
e-health
older adults
health information technology
consumer health information
self-efficacy
ISSN:1090-1981, 1552-6127, 1552-6127
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective. Innovations in health information technology (HIT) provide opportunities to reduce health care spending, improve quality of care, and improve health outcomes for older adults. However, concerns relating to older adults' limited access and use of HIT, including use of the Internet for health information, fuel the digital health divide debate. This study evaluated the potential digital health divide in relation to characteristic and belief differences between older adult users and nonusers of online health information sources. Methods. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted using a random sample of older adults. A total of 225 older adults (age range = 50-92 years, M = 68.9 years, SD = 10.4) participated in the study. Results. Seventy-six percent of all respondents had Internet access. Users and nonusers of online health information differed significantly on age (M = 66.29 vs. M = 71.13), education, and previous experience with the health care system. Users and nonusers of online health information also differed significantly on Internet and technology access, however, a large percentage of nonusers had Internet access (56.3%), desktop computers (55.9%), and laptop computers or netbooks (43.2%). Users of online health information had higher mean scores on the Computer Self-Efficacy Measure than nonusers, t(159) = -7.29, p < .0001. Conclusion. This study found significant differences between older adult users and nonusers of online health information. Findings suggest strategies for reducing this divide and implications for health education programs to promote HIT use among older adults.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 14
ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1090-1981
1552-6127
1552-6127
DOI:10.1177/1090198114547815