scholarly journals Differences in Health Information Literacy Competencies Among Older Adults, Elderly and Younger Citizens

Author(s):  
Isto Huvila ◽  
Noora Hirvonen ◽  
Heidi Enwald ◽  
Rose-Mharie Åhlfeldt
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung-Eun Lee ◽  
Sun Ju Chang ◽  
Eunjin Yang ◽  
Hyunju Ryu

BACKGROUND The Internet use rate of older adults, who were considered underprivileged in the digital world, is steadily increasing. Specifically, the Internet is considered an important channel for providing health information to older adults, who are the largest consumers of medical services. However, due to factors such as technical difficulties, lack of learning opportunities, and deterioration of eHealth literacy, the Internet is not usually a common factor of delivering health information to older adults. Therefore, we developed an intervention program to improve eHealth literacy in older adults according to the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) theory and Intervention Mapping. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze the effect of developed intervention on information, motivation, behavioral skills, and behaviors related to eHealth information in older adults. METHODS This study applied a single group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 46 older adults over the age of 65 recruited from two senior welfare centers in a city in South Korea. We divided the participants into 4 groups and conducted 4 interventions in the computer room of the Senior Welfare Center from March to December 2019. One intervention was performed once a week (2 hours/1 time) for 5 weeks, and the total lecture time was 10 hours. The instructors were all researchers involved in the development of this intervention, and the instructors for each intervention consisted of one lecture instructor and two assistant instructors who supported the participants in the computer practices. RESULTS Participants’computer/web knowledge (χ²= 60.04, P <.001), perceived ease of use (χ²= 17.86, P <.001), perceived enjoyment (χ²= 23.06, P <.001), and attitude toward eHealth information (χ²= 18.47, P <.001) showed statistically significant increases. The eHealth information literacy efficacy score (χ²= 72.76, P< .001), searching performance score (χ²= 162.57, P < .001), and understanding score (χ²= 60.96, P< .001) were also significantly different from those before and after the intervention. However, there was no significant difference in perceived usefulness (χ²= 5.91, P = .052). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the application of the current theory based methodology can improve the quality of research in developing eHealth information literacy interventions. Additionally, it is necessary to develop and continuously apply various interventions to improve eHealth information literacy among older adults. Finally, measures to improve the Internet environment for older adults should be considered.


Author(s):  
Chengbo Li ◽  
Yanqi Guo

The present study aimed to observe the effect of socio-economic status on health information literacy and to identify whether there is a social gradient for health information literacy among urban older adults in Western China. This study employed a cross-sectional research design, and 812 urban participants aged 60 and older were enrolled in Western China. In the current study, only 16.7% of urban older adults reported having adequate health information literacy. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that socio-economic status factors including educational attainment, ethnicity, and financial strain were significantly and tightly associated with health information literacy. Additionally, other factors including suffering from chronic diseases, information-seeking activity, reading magazines and books, and watching television were also significantly linked to health information literacy. Consistent with existing studies, the findings indicate the health information literacy deficit and demonstrate the crucial impact of socio-economic status on health information literacy, which implies a social gradient in health information literacy. The importance of other factors related to health information literacy are discussed as well. The results suggest that reducing the health information literacy deficit and social gradient in health information literacy must be considered as an important priority when developing public health and health education strategies, programs, and actions among urban older adults in Western China.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamer El-Attar ◽  
Jarvis Gray ◽  
Sankaran N. Nair ◽  
Raymond Ownby ◽  
Sara J. Czaja

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rexwhite Tega Enakrire ◽  
Isaac Mpho Mothiba

Information literacy competencies indicate the ability of an individual to apply a certain search strategy of information discovery, to understand its design, to value judgement, and to use it in various contents and contexts. The influence of information literacy competencies plays an important role in enabling information users to meet their information needs and prepares them for lifelong learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of information literacy competencies of users in the Saulsville public library, South Africa. The rationale was a lack of awareness and the inability of the users to find their information needs based on the task and decision at hand. The descriptive survey design adopted for this study made use of a questionnaire to collect data from 1 120 registered members of the Saulsville library. Of the 1 120 registered users being the population for the study, the authors purposively used 10 per cent (112 members) of the population as sample size. The findings revealed that users of the Saulsville public library had limited awareness and competencies of information literacy. The users were exposed to some form of library orientation and the use of library resources during their visit to the library. The findings further indicated that the users’ information literacy competencies were affirmed through the quality of information obtained and the satisfaction of library services rendered by library staff. The study recommends the acquisition of new technologies that could enhance users’ interactive information literacy training in public libraries and formal education settings.  


Author(s):  
Shelagh K. Genuis

This qualitative paper explores how health information mediated by the internet and media is used and made valuable within the life of consumers managing non-crisis health challenges, and how informal information seeking and gathering influences self-positioning within patient-clinician relationships. Findings have implications for health information literacy and collaborative, patient-centred care.Cette étude qualitative explore comment l’information sur la santé relayée par Internet et les médias est utilisée et rendue utile dans le contexte de consommateurs gérant des problèmes médicaux non urgents, et comment la recherche et la collecte d’information informelles influencent l’auto-positionnement dans la relation patient clinicien. Les résultats ont des applications dans la maîtrise de l’information médicale et les soins collaboratifs centrés sur le patient.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S412-S412
Author(s):  
Bo Xie ◽  
Kristina Shiroma

Abstract Older adults living in Asia or of Asian origin have unique preferences for information that require special attention. This symposium focuses on the health information preferences and behaviors of Asian older adults. Song et al. investigated the relationship between Internet use and perceived loneliness among Older Chinese using from survey data collected in the 2015 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a national study involving 12,400 households in Mainland China. Multiple regression results suggest that older Chinese Internet users perceived significantly less loneliness compared with their age peers who were non-Internet users. Zhang et al. investigated the role of information and communication technologies in supporting antiretroviral therapy (ART)-related knowledge seeking among older Chinese with HIV. Their cross-sectional survey data were collected from 2012 to 2013 in Guangxi, China. The results suggest that less than 5% of the participants sought HIV-related information via computers. Patients less knowledgeable about ART were more likely than those more knowledgeable to consult medical professionals about the disease via cell phones. Shiroma et al. report findings of a systematic literature review conducted in spring 2019 that examined Asian ethnic minority older adults’ preferences for end-of-Life (EOL) information seeking and decision making. The results suggest Asian ethnic minority older adults are understudied in the literature on EOL information and decision making, especially in terms of their unique cultural contexts. Du et al. examined how health information obtained from different types of social networks affect osteoporosis self-management behaviors among older White and Asian women.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062098161
Author(s):  
Benedicta Boadi ◽  
George Tesilimi Banji ◽  
Patrick Adzobu ◽  
Stephen Okyere

Health information literacy plays a critical role in self-management practices among patients living with chronic health conditions. However, there are limited studies on information needs among breast cancer patients in Ghana. This paper therefore investigated the information needs of women living with breast cancer in Ghana and how educational status influenced their information needs. The study was conducted in two health facilities in Accra, Ghana (37 Military Hospital and Sweden Ghana Medical Centre). A total of 75 breast cancer patients were conveniently selected from the two health facilities for the study. The instrument used to elicit relevant data for this study was a questionnaire using the survey design. Data was analysed descriptively. The findings of the study revealed that the information needs of the breast cancer patients investigated were centred mainly around treatment and management information and less around preventive information. The patients also ranked diagnostic information as their highest need, followed by physical care information, treatment information, psychosocial information and disease-specific information in that order. Patients with higher education reported higher information need on all the five domains compared to those with lower education. The study therefore recommended that management of health facilities make health information literacy an integral component of their treatment and management of breast cancer.


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