Technophobia among older Internet users

Internet use may be helpful in maintaining older adults’ independence, social connectedness, and quality of life. High levels of technophobia (fear of modern technologies or discomfort with them), however, may constrain older Internet users’ online activity and limit the benefits they derive therefrom. The literature on technophobia in later life tends to focus on nonusers and ignore older individuals who already use advanced technologies. Relying on an online survey of 537 Internet users aged 60 and up, this study explored the extent to which technophobia constrains older users’ online activity. The results demonstrated varying levels of technophobia among users and significant associations between technophobia and Internet use patterns, including type and complexity of use. Technophobia also correlated with users’ education, perceived health and well-being: Technophobes tended to be less satisfied with their lives—a correlation that remained significant even after controlling for background variables and online activities. The findings suggest that technophobia plays a role at both the first and second levels of the digital divide among seniors. They also indicate that technophobia may be a risk factor in later life, suggesting that older users ought to be taken into account in planning measures to reduce technophobia among seniors.     

Understanding Older Adults’ Perceptions of Internet Use: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

The current study examined factors related to older adults’ perceptions of Internet use. Three hundred ninety five older adults participated in the study. The factor analysis revealed four factors perceived by older adults as critical to their Internet use: social connection, self-efficacy, the need to seek financial information, and the need to seek health information. Key differences were found between previous research and the factors extracted in this study. The regression analysis demonstrated that variables like health condition, financial status, computer experience, and life satisfaction significantly predict, at various levels, factors perceived by the older adults to affect Internet use. The significance of the study as well as its implications for research and practice are discussed. Suggestions are made for future research and practice.     

Are Health Answers Online for Older Adults?

The Internet has the potential for engaging urban seniors in managing their health. This study examined computer and Internet use among urban seniors and their interest in using the Internet as a health-management tool. Findings indicated that many participants were interested in storing and accessing health-related information using an elder-friendly health web portal. Further research, using a community of urban older adults as active members of a health portal design team, could provide a unique viewpoint on how the Internet might be used as a health-information and management tool for older adults.     

INTERNET USE AMONG YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS: RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

Past research found a negative impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young adults. This finding conflicted with the emerging literature on Internet use among older adults, which usually suggested positive effects. The goals of the current research were a) to examine age differences in psychological well-being, b) to study the impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young and older adults, and c) to explore group differences between older Internet users and nonusers of psychological well-being and personal characteristics. Three hundred and ninety-six young and older adults completed a survey on internet use and psychological well-being. Young and older adults were found to differ on dimensions of psychological well-being. In addition, older Internet users were more positive than non-users concerning psychological well-being and personal characteristics.     

Attitudes Towards and Limitations to ICT Use in Assisted and Independent Living Communities: Findings from a Specially-Designed Technological Intervention

Much literature has been devoted to theoretical explanations of the learning processes of older adults and to the methods of teaching best utilized in older populations. However, there has been less focus on the education of older adults who reside in assisted and independent living communities (AICs), especially with regards to information and communication technology (ICT) education. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participants' attitudes and views towards computers and the Internet are affected as a result of participating in an eight-week training program designed to enhance computer and Internet use among older adults in such communities. Specifically, we examine if ICT education specially designed for AIC residents results in more positive attitudes towards ICTs and a perceived decrease in factors that may limit or prevent computer and Internet use. We discuss the implications of these results for enhancing the quality of life for older adults in AICs and make recommendations for those seeking to decrease digital inequality among older adults in these communities through their own ICT classes.     

A GROUNDED THEORY ANALYSIS OF OLDER ADULTS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The study reported in this article used grounded theory methodology to investigate older adults accounts of their use of information technology (IT). A small number of SeniorNet Wellington members volunteered to be interviewed about their experiences with and opinions about computer technology. It was found that participants began using computers because technology was associated with modern life, leading them to recognize the potential that IT had to offer them. Their present, mostly positive, attitudes toward IT were strongly linked with the personal usefulness of IT and direct experience with and personal ownership of IT. Study findings illustrated how involvement with and use of IT by older adults is cyclic and serves to reinforce continuing involvement. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are also discussed.     

They also do it: Internet use by older adults living in residential care facilities

The Internet has gained much importance as a resource for older adults during recent years, for example, as a resource for maintaining lifelong learning. However, available studies targeting the adoption of the Internet have mostly focused on young-old, healthy, and community-dwelling adults. To our knowledge, no study has yet examined Internet use among individuals living in residential care facilities (RCF), that is, old–old adults with a range of functional impairments. We provide data on the Internet use in a large sample of 1,212 residents (mean age, 87.9 years) living in 24 RCFs in Zurich, Switzerland. We found that 14% of residents used the Internet, a very similar proportion as previously reported in a Swiss survey of older adults in private households. However, when stratified according to age, individuals aged 65–84 years in RCFs had lower Internet use compared with community-dwelling older adults (21% versus 65%, respectively). No difference was observed among individuals aged ≥85 years. Compared with non-users, Internet users were more likely to be younger, male, living for a shorter duration in RCF, not living alone in the institution, and healthier and functionally unimpaired. Internet users also described themselves as having higher autonomy and satisfaction with life. In conclusion, Internet use has reached (at least in Switzerland) the long-term care sector and appears to play a significant role in the lives of a considerable portion of RCF residents.     

Older adults’ perceived sense of social exclusion from the digital world

ABSTRACT

A great deal of information and many services can now be accessed digitally. In order to make use of such services, however, it is necessary to have some form of Internet access. A lack of involvement in digital society may produce new forms of social exclusion. Older adults are particularly at risk of Internet-related social exclusion, since they tend to use the Internet less than younger adults. Little is known, however, about whether this lower level of Internet use among older people is in fact accompanied by a sense of social exclusion. In order to investigate the subjective sense of digital social exclusion resulting from a lack of Internet usage, we conducted a secondary analysis of a representative, cross-sectional telephone survey of 1,037 adults aged 65 years and over and living in Switzerland. We found that 33% of “onliners” reported that they would feel socially excluded were they to stop using the Internet, compared with 14% of “onliners” who felt socially excluded on account of their lack of Internet use. Our analyses show that onliners’ attitudes toward Internet use and the variety of online applications available were related to their sense of social exclusion. By contrast, offliners’ attitudes toward Internet use and their feelings of loneliness in general were predictors for their sense of social exclusion as a result of not using the Internet. The results of the study as well as its implications for research and practice are discussed.     

A Review of: “LEARNING LATER By Brian Findsen”

Many older adults do not use health information available on the Internet. Older adults residing in affordable housing were taught to use the NIHSeniorHealth.gov Web site. Participants were predominantly African American women with limited education and income (N = 42). Outcomes included changes in computer and health Web site navigation skills. Results showed significant improvements for all demographic groups in both computer and Web site navigation (p < .001). Older minority adults with no prior computer experience were willing and able to learn to use health Web sites. Success factors included an instructor familiar with the community, peer training assistants, and a focus on new learner needs.     

Outdoor activity among older adults: Exploring the role of informational Internet use

ABSTRACT

The Internet has the potential to enable older adults to live a socially active and self-determined life. An important facet of active aging is participation in outdoor activity. Previous research has shown that older Internet users participated more frequently in outdoor activities. However, understanding of how Internet use can influence the behavior of going outdoors is still limited. To bridge this gap, the goal of this study was to examine whether informational Internet use specific to opportunities and offerings in the city facilitates participation in outdoor activity. Primary survey data from individuals aged 65+ living in a medium-sized city in Europe (N = 1,117) was analyzed. The results show that Internet as an information source predicted community activity for participants living in urban neighborhoods but not in a rural neighborhood. Further, informational Internet use predicted cultural activity for residents living in all three neighborhoods. The results thus emphasize the positive effect of informational Internet use on behavior through providing older adults with useful information about opportunities and offerings available in their neighborhood. Taken together, the findings provide a rationale for the development of digital neighborhood platforms and interventions targeted at older adults’ digital skills.     

Integrating Curriculum and Practice with Students and their Field Supervisors: Reflections on Spirituality and the Aging (Rosa) Model

Previous research has found links between older adults' future orientation—hope, optimism, and death anxiety—and their physical and mental health; however, these relationships may be confounded by other psychosocial variables such as locus of control and social support. The purpose of the present study was to isolate the effects of future orientation in order to determine which future orientation variable or variables predict physical and mental health among older adults. Older adults (n = 182) completed a survey. After controlling for the effects of sociodemographic and psychosocial variables, hope emerged as the sole predictor of both physical health and mental health. This indicates that hope is a reliable predictor of physical and mental health among older adults.     

Intelligence,Belief in the Paranormal,Knowledge of Probability and Aging

Older adults are less likely to be using computers and less knowledgeable about Internet security than are younger users. The two groups do not differ on trust of Internet information. The younger group shows no age or gender differences. Within the older group, computer users are more trusting of Internet information, and along with those with more education, are more knowledgeable about security hazards. The oldest women are less knowledgeable about security hazards. Older adults' greater risk when using computers and the Internet may be primarily due to cohort differences in education and computer use.     

Generational differences in online safety perceptions,knowledge, and practices

ABSTRACT

As Internet usage has proliferated in recent years so have online security threats. Internet users are increasingly susceptible to online security threats. Using a qualitative approach, this study conducted 18 focus groups to examine how three different generations perceive online safety, use coping strategies, and protect themselves online: Silent and GI generation (SGI) (born 1945 or earlier), older Baby Boomers (1946–1954), and Millennials (1977–1992). Results show that although each generation shares a variety of online safety concerns, SGIs and Boomers are more suspicious about online security, have less confidence in their abilities, are uncertain about the effectiveness of protection resources, perform fewer protection behaviors, and are more likely to rely on others’ assistance compared to the Millennial group. Our findings indicate online safety training is needed for all three generations, but especially for older adults. Tailored approaches are suggested to reach different generations.     

Implementation of Health Promotion in the Older Adults in Bangkok,Thailand

ABSTRACT

Effective strategies that bring health promotion messages to older adults in a developing country are needed. To evaluate the impact of various education media upon changes in knowledge and health behavior, a double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 1,268 older adults in a southwest Bangkok suburb. Group teaching supplemented by a video program was provided in the communities. A simplified booklet and an audiotape containing the same health education information as in the videotape were given to the older adults for self-study. Health knowledge was assessed before the health education program. Identical assessment was performed again 3 months after the intervention. The quadriceps exercise and Cawthorne-Cooksey head-and-neck-balance exercise—representing changes in health promotion behavior—were also evaluated. Those who attended the group-teaching program had higher test scores than the control group. Only those who both read the booklet and listened to the audiotape in the intervention group gained more knowledge than the control group. The combination of group teaching supplemented by the video program and self-study using the booklet and audiotape was effective in improving health knowledge and behavior.     

Information Technology Education for Older Adults as a Continuing Peer-Learning Process: A Chinese Case Study

This article examines older Chinese's learning and use of computers and the Internet, focusing on the major barriers encountered and strategies employed to overcome those barriers. A total of 33 interviews were conducted in 2004 in Shanghai. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory. The following are the major findings : (a) lack of technical support is a major barrier to information technology (IT) learning, yet it is difficult to get support from younger people; (b) learning from age peers is an effective way to learn about IT; and (c) short-term computer classes are only the beginning, while computer clubs that may last for years can provide much-needed continuing training.     

Literacy activity and health among older adults in the USA

ABSTRACT

Health literacy skills are known to be a key mediator of the relationship between education and health in the general population. However, one aspect of health literacy skills—individuals’ actual literacy activities—remains understudied, especially among older adults. Health disparities that are driven by inequalities in education and level of health literacy skills are particularly problematic for older adults since they are exacerbated in old age by disadvantages that accumulate over the life course. This study examined a nationally representative sample of US adults age 50 years and older (n = 2,573) using data from the 2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Parallel mediation analysis was conducted to examine the partial mediation effects of health literacy skills and literacy activity (i.e., reading at home) on the relationship between education and health. Results showed that both health literacy skills and literacy activity mediated the education–health relationship. On average, literacy skills mediated 31.89% and literacy activities mediated 9.59% of the effect of education of self-rated health. Literacy activity, such as reading, is an easily accessible, autonomous, and sustainable option for promoting health in later life. Policies that support the intersection of public health and education may promote lifelong learning and well-being among US adults.     

Information Technologies as Health Management Tools: Urban Elders' Interest and Ability in Using' the Internet

Older adults represent an increasing percentage of both the whole U.S. population and persons living with one or more chronic health conditions. However, extant research has largely overlooked older adults when examining current Internet users and the potential for the Internet as a health management resource. In this study, the researchers conducted focus groups with urban elders in Detroit to elicit, in their own words, their collective perceptions about their interest, current uses, and desired uses for health management via the Internet in tandem with their current abilities and needs for technological training and support. The findings reveal that many urban elders access the Internet, or would like to, and they clearly articulate many ways that management tools on the Internet do/could empower and assist them in actively engaging in their health management and knowledgably interacting with their health care providers. The findings also support the premise that survey measurement instruments need to be developed in collaboration with those who will directly benefit from research findings and the practice applications.     

The Use of Think-Aloud to Evaluate a Navigation Structure for a Multimedia Health and Wellness Application for Older Adults and Their Caregivers

Despite the increasing use of health information technologies (HITs) for older adults living in the community and their caregivers, few have been rigorously evaluated for usability by the end users. Think-aloud protocols are a relatively easy method for both clinicians and researchers to use with older adults and those therapists that work with them to provide such an evaluation. In the present report, we provide an exemplar using this method in order to evaluate the usability of a health and wellness technology tool designed for older adults and caregivers. In addition, we discuss methodological and practical considerations for others interested in this approach. The methodology described in this study is easy and practical to undertake, and it can be effectively conducted by researchers and clinicians to find usability issues related to HITs for older adults and their caregivers.     

Myth-busting is a bust for patient education: Making salient older adults’ misconceptions about osteoarthritis fails to lead to lasting corrections

ABSTRACT

Older adults hold many misconceptions about health and wellness that reduce their health literacy. To counter these misconceptions, health educators commonly turn to educational interventions that include myth-busting—making explicit health-related myths and refuting those myths. Because of typical age-related changes in memory functioning, there is some question as to whether myth-busting is an effective technique for use with older adults. The present work assessed whether making older adults explicitly aware of common myths about osteoarthritis and refuting those myths would effectively debunk those myths and lead to correct beliefs about osteoarthritis. Older adults participated in two data collection sessions separated, on average, by 5 days. During the first session, participants read pamphlets about osteoarthritis that either employed myth-busting techniques or did not. Then after a brief delay, participants completed a quiz that measured adherence to the myths. Adherence to the myths was assessed again during the second data collection session. The analyses revealed that making myths salient significantly reduced adherence to myths immediately after the myth-busting presentation; however, as time passed, the corrective effects of myth-busting dissipated. Medical myth-busting appears to be an ineffective way to induce long-term corrections in older adults. Future research should focus on identifying methods by which health educators could leverage myth-busting’s short-term positive impact to affect long-lasting corrections. Until there is evidence that the positive impact of myth-busting can be maintained over time, health educators should be wary of using this technique with older adult patients.