Older Adult Internet Use and eHealth Literacy

Bibliographic Data

ID23316643
AuthorsT A Arcury (0000-0001-9523-9492, Wake Forest University, corresponding author), Joanne C Sandberg (0000-0001-6056-6186, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), Kathryn P Melius (Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), A Quandt (0000-0002-2968-5459, Wake Forest University), Sara A Quandt (Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), Xiaoyan Leng (0000-0002-7610-7977, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), Celine Latulipe (0000-0002-2132-0092, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA), David P Miller (0000-0001-7879-4427, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), Drew Smith (0000-0001-8410-2423, Columbia-Greene Community College), D Alden Smith (Greene County Health Care Inc., Snow Hill, NC, USA), Alain G Bertoni (0000-0002-7503-6273, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA)
Year2020
Volume39
Issue2
Pages141-150
Publication date2020-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Gerontology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0733-4648 • E-ISSN: 1552-4523
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0733464818807468
PMID30353776
OpenAlexW2898460250
LanguageEN
Citations received54
References cited39

We examine Internet use and eHealth literacy among older adults (aged 55+ years) who were patients at clinics serving low-income populations. Participants included 200 minority and White adults who completed interviews based on a technology acceptance conceptual model. A total of 106 participants (53.0%) used the Internet; utilization was associated with personal characteristics (age, ethnicity, education, poverty), computer characteristics (number of e-devices, computer stress), social support (marital status), and health knowledge and attitudes (health literacy, medical decision making, health information sources), but not health status. Of the 106 participants who used the Internet, 52 (49.1%) had high eHealth literacy; eHealth literacy was associated with computer characteristics (number of e-devices, computer stress), and health knowledge and attitudes (medical decision making, health information sources). In multivariate analysis, computer stress maintained a significant inverse association with eHealth literacy. Educational interventions to help older adults successfully use technology and improve eHealth literacy must be identified.

Computer literacy · eHealth · Environmental health · Ethnic group · Health care · Health information · Health Information National Trends Survey · Health literacy · Literacy · Marital status · Medical education · Population · Psychological intervention · Sociology · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Mobile Health and mHealth Applications · Nursing · Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults · Gerontology

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