Health Information Literacy of the Older Adults and Their Intention to Share Health Rumors: An Analysis from the Perspective of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

Author(s):  
Mengqing Yang
2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482199686
Author(s):  
Shoshana H. Bardach ◽  
Elizabeth K. Rhodus ◽  
Kelly Parsons ◽  
Allison K. Gibson

Social distancing guidelines during COVID can be isolating, especially for older adults, with potential for poor health outcomes. Technology offers opportunities for remote connection, yet, older adults’ use of and perspectives on technology during this time remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into older adults’ technology use and preferences to inform the development of a technology training intervention to support older adult well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 older adults. Interviews were analyzed using an iterative, constant comparison approach. Findings were consistent with Socioemotional Selectivity Theory; respondents were primarily interested in technology to support emotionally meaningful goals. Participants indicated limited interest in technology training, referencing diminished future time perspectives to explain disinterest. Findings suggest that efforts to encourage older adults’ expanded technology adoption should highlight how use supports emotionally meaningful goals and provide low-effort, timely training, tied to specific and clear applications.


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.


1997 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha ◽  
Frances Marshall Leone ◽  
Jill M. Armstrong

Although it is widely believed that emotions vary with age, there is a dearth of information on emotional experiences in later adulthood. Several researchers think that older adults experience less emotional intensity than younger people while others have suggested that aging is accompanied by a decrease in positive affect and an increase in negative emotions. Sex similarities and differences in emotionality have also been documented. This study focuses on age and sex similarities and differences in emotional control. Three hundred and twenty seven men and women aged 19 to 92 years were administered two emotion measures. The results support previous research which suggests that the control of emotions increases with age. In evaluating sex differences in emotional control, women scored as more emotionally expressive than men, a finding which is consistent with previous research. Results are discussed in relation to socioemotional selectivity theory.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caoimhe McManus ◽  
David McGovern

Older adults tend to focus on positive information over negative information; a phenomenon commonly referred to as the ‘positivity effect’. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory posits that this effect stems from age-related shifts in goals and relies heavily on the active suppression of negative information. The current study tested the hypothesis that inhibitory control is a key determinant of positivity biases in older adults using anti-saccade and recognition memory tasks. Results indicated a significant correlation between levels of inhibitory control and the positivity effect. These findings highlight the key role played by inhibitory control in determining positivity biases amongst older adults.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 772-772
Author(s):  
Alexandria Ebert ◽  
Julie Hicks Patrick ◽  
Maya Huggins ◽  
Aradhita Yadava ◽  
Sarah Collett

Abstract Increases in motivation for the pursuit of emotionally meaningful goals and activities as people age (socioemotional selectivity theory; SST) necessitates the investigation of means in which these goals and activities can be realized. In the present study adults (N = 130) aged 25 to 78 (M = 53.32; SD = 15.181) watched awe-inducing (view of space) and happiness-inducing (comedian Robin Williams interacting with Koko the “talking gorilla”) videos and then completed measures associated with awe, affect, and well-being (measured via PGC Positive and Negative Affect Scales). Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted to examine the effect of age (split by young, middle-aged, and older) on experiences of awe and positive affect in response to watching each video. There was a main effect of age on experiences of awe for both videos (ps &lt; 05). Specifically, older adults experienced significantly higher levels of awe than young adults (p &lt; .05) in response to video 1. They also experienced significantly higher levels of awe than young adults (p &lt; .01) in response to video 2. Bivariate correlations among awe, well-being, and happiness were similar in strength and magnitude in each age group (ps &lt; .05). Overall, consistent with Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, our findings suggest that affective reactions of awe and happiness, induced by videos, relate to well-being across age-groups. Future work should test whether the use of these awe-inducing videos can improve well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S278-S278
Author(s):  
Amy Knepple Carney ◽  
Julie Patrick

Abstract Socioemotional selectivity theory positis that when we feel our time as limited, when a person ages, emotion based goals become a priority (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). Although previous studies have shown that all age groups benefit from a connection to nature (CN; Bisceglia, Perlman, Schaack, & Jenkins, 2009; Han, 2008; Mayer et al., 2009), there have been no studies conducted to determine if there are age differences in CN and how that relation contributes to positive affect. Analyses were conducted with a sample size of 152 participants with an average age of 37.55 years (SD = 15.64; Range 18 -89). Age was significantly positively associated with CN, r(151)=.16, p&lt;.05. Additionally, an ANOVA showed that middle-aged to older adults reporting significantly higher CN than younger adults. The relation of positive affect to age and CN was then examined. In the analysis examining the effects of age and CN on positive affect, the model was significant, F(3, 146)=8.48, p&lt;.05, R2 = .15. Both, CN, and age, uniquely contributed to the variance accounted for on positive affect, although, the interaction of CN and age did not uniquely contribute to the variance. These results may be indicative of socioemotional selectively theory, in that older adults were choosing connection to nature because it fulfilled more emotional activities/goals than the younger adults in the study. Because previous research has all but ignored the association of CN and age and their relation to positive affect, it should be considered in future research.


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