Diaries of lifelong learners: Information seeking behaviors of older adults in peer-learning study groups at an academic institution

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the types and sources of information sought by older adults along with their motivations in the Midwestern United States.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with 30 older adults residing in rural communities around the Midwestern United States during late-summer (July/August) 2020, using a protocol based on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The resulting data was analyzed using standard content analysis procedures, guided by the theoretical frameworks based on Dervin's Sense-Making and Williamson's Ecological Model of Information Behavior. Implications of COVID-19 for the normative behaviors described in these models are discussed.FindingsFindings show that older adults were concerned primarily with health and political information during this period, but that this information was not necessarily sought only to address an informational need, but also to satisfy the need to maintain social and emotional connections in coping with isolation and loneliness. Sources of information that allowed for social interaction with people were favored. Wider personal networks (community members) were strained by the social distancing measures and closures. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for considering the impact of social restrictions on information seeking behaviors of older adults in a time of crisis.Originality/valueThis study is the first, known to the authors, that applied the two adopted theoretical frameworks to explore information seeking behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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EXPLORING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OLDER ADULTS’ INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS AND INTERACTIONS WITH HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

The Gerontologist ◽

10.1093/geront/gnv200.03 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 55 (Suppl_2) ◽

pp. 474-474

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Information ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Health Information Seeking ◽

Internet Health Information ◽

Information Seeking Behaviors

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Correlates of Older Adults’ E-Health Information-Seeking Behaviors

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000521251 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sara Pourrazavi ◽

Kamiar Kouzekanani ◽

Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi ◽

Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi ◽

Mina Hashemiparast ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Online Information ◽

Health Information Seeking ◽

Information Seeking Behaviors

Introduction: The Internet is an important source for health information and a medium for older adults’ empowerment in health decision-making and self-caring. Therefore, we aimed to identify the potential motivators and probable barriers of e-health information-seeking behaviors (e-HISB) among older Iranian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study assessed the usefulness of self-efficacy, perceived encouragement, positive attitude toward e-HISB, perceived usefulness, challenges of being visited by physicians, and perceived barriers in predicting e-HISB in a sample of 320 older adults in Tabriz, Iran. Results: The self-efficacy for online information seeking, positive attitude toward e-HISB, and perceived usefulness increased the odds of e-HISB by 12.00%, 24.00%, and 15.00%, respectively. In addition, e-health literacy, conflicting information, distrust of online information, and web designs that were not senior-friendly were the major barriers to e-HISB. Discussion/Conclusion: The theoretical and practical implications of the motivators and barriers of e-HISB can be instrumental in designing and executing programs aimed at improving e-health literacy among older adults especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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