Health Information Seeking on Social Apps among Older Adults Living with Chronic Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 878-880
Author(s):  
Mengyuan Zhao ◽  
Shijie Song ◽  
Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Health Information Seeking

Older adults and internet health information seeking

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamer El-Attar ◽  
Jarvis Gray ◽  
Sankaran N. Nair ◽  
Raymond Ownby ◽  
Sara J. Czaja
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Health Information

scholarly journals Online Health Information Seeking Among African American and Hispanic Men Living with Chronic Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ledric Sherman ◽  
Kirby Goidel ◽  
Caroline Bergeron ◽  
Matthew Lee Smith
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Hispanic Men ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
Minority Men

BACKGROUND Previous research has identified disparities in seeking and using online health information to inform health-related behaviors. Relatively few studies, however, have examined the correlates of online health information seeking and use at the intersection of race, gender, age, and the presence of chronic health condition. OBJECTIVE In this study, we identify factors associated with seeking and using online health information among a uniquely vulnerable and intersectional population, middle-aged and older (40+) African-American and Hispanic men living with one or more chronic conditions. METHODS Survey responses were collected from a purposive sample of African-American and Hispanic men using Qualtrics online survey management software. To qualify for inclusion in the study, respondents had to identify as African-American or Hispanic men, report having at least one chronic condition, and aged 40 years and older. RESULTS Online health information seeking among minority men is function of education, the presence of multiple chronic conditions, frustrations with healthcare providers, internet use, and the perceived reliability of online health information. Use of online health information to inform interactions with healthcare providers is more common for minority men who rate their health as relatively good, perceive barriers to care, use technology regularly, and take more daily medications. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the factors that influence minority males to seek online health information may help to improve care and treatment of chronic conditions. Minority males seek online health information as a substitute for routine care, but also to inform their discussions with healthcare providers. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals Literacy, Numeracy, and Health Information Seeking Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Anthony R. Bardo ◽  
Darren Liu ◽  
Phyllis A. Cummins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objectives: Health literacy is often viewed as an essential skill set for successfully seeking health information to make health-related decisions. However, this general understanding has yet to be established with the use of nationally representative data. The objective of this study was to provide the first nationally representative empirical evidence that links health information seeking behaviors with health literacy among middle-age to older adults in the United States. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2012/2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Literacy (PIAAC). Our analytic sample is representative of adults age 45 to 74 years ( N = 2,989). Results: Distinct components of health literacy (i.e., literacy and numeracy) were uniquely associated with the use of different health information sources (e.g., health professionals, the Internet, television). Discussion: Findings should be useful for government agencies and health care providers interested in targeting health communications, as well as researchers who focus on health disparities.

scholarly journals I Wouldn’t Search That With My Mobile Phone: Credibility and Trust in OHIRs Among Lower-Income Black Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 509-509
Author(s):  
Christina Harrington ◽  
Amanda Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Web Searching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Technology Proficiency

Abstract Online health information resources (OHIRs) such as conversational assistants and smart devices that provide access to consumer health information in the home are promoted as viable options for older adults to independently manage health. However, there is question as to how well these devices are perceived to meet the needs of marginalized populations such as lower-income Black older adults who often experience lower digital literacy or technology proficiency. We examined the experiences of 34 lower-income Black older adults aged 65-83 from Chicago and Detroit with various OHIRs and explored whether conversational resources were perceived to better support health information seeking compared to traditional online web searching. In a three-phase study, participants tracked their experiences with various OHIRs and documented health-related questions in a health diary. Participants were then interviewed about their diaries in focus groups and semi-structured interviews, followed by a technology critique and co-design session to re-envision a more usable and engaging conversational device. We present preliminary results of the themes that emerged from our analysis: cultural variables in health information seeking practices, perceptions of credibility, likelihood of use, and system accessibility. Participants indicated that their trust of different resources depended on the type of information sought, and that conversational assistants would be a useful resource that require less technology proficiency, even among those with lower e-health literacy. Although our findings indicate that familiarity and trust were salient constructs associated with perceptions of OHIRs, these devices may address digital literacy and technology familiarity with certain design considerations.

scholarly journals eHealth Literacy and Web 2.0 Health Information Seeking Behaviors Among Baby Boomers and Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Tennant ◽  
Michael Stellefson ◽  
Virginia Dodd ◽  
Beth Chaney ◽  
Don Chaney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

scholarly journals What Triggers Health Information Search: An Explorative Analysis on the Information Needs, Situations, Technologies, and Habits in Health Information Search Across the Lifespan

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-125
Author(s):  
Anoosheh Ghazanfari ◽  
Jessie Chin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking

Given the access to online health information is no longer a problem, continuous growth in health information seeking has been observed. The goal of the study was to explore the triggers, information needs, contemporary technologies and habits of health information search behavior across the lifespan. The population who seeks online health information has increased stably for two decades (Diaz et al., 2002, Tennant et al., 2015). In addition to its prevalence, online health information plays an important role in patient decision-making. Almost half of people who searched for health information online reported that it influenced the way they think about health factors, and more than one third of them said it influenced their decision to see a doctor, or how they managed chronic conditions (Pew Internet Research, 2013). While earlier studies have explored the triggers of online health information seeking (e.g., Flynn, Smith & Freese, 2006), health information seeking behavior may be evolved with the development of new technologies. To explore the triggers of health information seeking across the lifespan, 69 older (mean age = 63.94, 35 female) and 67 younger (mean age = 35.21, 31 female) adults were recruited to a survey study. We found that there was no age difference in the reliance on health information sources. Physicians and the Internet remained the dominant sources of health information, followed by family, friends and pharmacists. Regarding information seeking habits, there was no age difference in the overall frequencies of online health information search despite the fact that more older adults checked health information online daily. Checking medication information was the dominant reason to trigger both younger and older adults to go online, followed by searching online after doctors’ visits, and making treatment decisions. There was also a trend that older users were more likely to go online when they heard about a new or unknown health information compared to younger users. Further, we explored the information needs of online health information search. While older adults were more likely to search for learning new information than younger adults, more younger adults looked up online health information for confirming or clarifying known health information. Taking advantage of social health information, about one half of younger and older adults shared health information online with their family and friends, and went online for checking review comments of medications, healthcare providers, etc. from their peer patients. Further, while desktop computers remained the most used technology for online health information search, an age difference was found in the usage of tablets and smartphones. Older adults used the tablets to do online health information searches more than younger adults; while younger people used the smart phones to do online health information searches more than older people. Overall, we found increasing importance of online health information for adults across the lifespan, especially for older adults who tended to use online information for acquiring new knowledge about health topics. The triggers of online health information seeking were also not only bounded to doctors’ visits but also related to daily health information needs (such as checking medications). Interestingly, the use of tablets for online health information search among older adults could be associated with the perceived ease of use of tablets among older users (portability, bigger font size and the accessibility of interactions) (Jayroe & Wolfram, 2012). As Pew Internet (2017) suggested that over a third of seniors own tablets, when designing elderly-accessible health websites, tailoring the presentation of health information to different media (including tablets) needs to be considered.

Variability among older adults in Internet health information-seeking performance

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Czaja ◽  
J. Sharit ◽  
M.A. Hernandez ◽  
S.N. Nair ◽  
D. Loewenstein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Health Information
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