Determinants Affecting the Use of the Internet by Older People

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to detect and analyze some factors which hinder or contribute to the positive use of the Internet by older people living in Central Europe, specifically in one region of the Czech Republic. Methods: The key method is a questionnaire whose results were processed by using a model of logistic regression. The research sample includes 432 seniors from senior houses, municipal ICT courses and the University of the Third Age, all coming from the region of Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic. Findings: The findings of the proposed model confirmed that the key determinants in the Internet use by older people were age, previous experience with IT in their past occupation and active use of IT enhanced by some kind of training, in this case attending IT courses of the University of the Third Age. Education and gender have not proved to be significant determinants in this study. Novelty/ improvement: The introduced model of logistic regression enriches current literature on the subject by emphasizing the possible factors that influence the use of the Internet by seniors in the region. The survey also investigates which factors in comparison with each other act more and which less, and which factors are significant within the model and which are not. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01317 Full Text: PDF

Download Full-text

ICT in agrarian sector of the CR

Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) ◽

10.17221/5444-agricecon ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 49 (No. 11) ◽

pp. 540-542

Author(s):

J. Vaněk ◽

J. Jarolímek

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

The Internet ◽

Real Situation ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Agrarian Sector ◽

Key Factor ◽

Information And Communication ◽

The University

The fact that the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a key factor of development of individuals, regions, sectors and whole countries is well known at the beginning of the 21st century. The real situation of ICT utilization is very different in particular sections and it fails to reach standards that we would expect. The sphere of the agrarian sector of the Czech Republic is a very good example. The Information and Consulting Centre FEM at the University of Agriculture in Prague (IPC) has been participating on research of the utilization ICT in agriculture for three years. According to the latest data from July 2002, 55% of agrarian enterprises are connected to the Internet, which is much less than in other sectors.

Download Full-text

The Assessment of the Severity of COVID-19-Related Anxiety Symptoms in Participants of the University of the Third Age in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study among Internet Survey Respondents

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10173862 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (17) ◽

pp. 3862 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mateusz Cybulski ◽

Urszula Cwalina ◽

Dorota Sadowska ◽

Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older People ◽

Trait Anxiety ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Internet Survey ◽

Third Age ◽

Financial Status ◽

The Third ◽

The University

Introduction: Fear of infection with SARS-CoV-2 has become widespread. All over the world, since the very beginning of the pandemic, older adults have been considered one of the groups at highest risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death due to COVID-19. The aim of the study was to evaluate the severity of anxiety symptoms related to COVID-19 in the older adults who are participants of the Universities of the Third Age in Poland. Material and methods: The study included participants of the University of the Third Age in Poland. A total of 296 persons were enrolled, including 258 women and 38 men. The study was a diagnostic survey, conducted with the use of the following validated psychometric scales: General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: In two scales (STAI and SHAI), the mean scores demonstrated mild symptoms indicative of anxiety disorders in the older respondents. Women and men did differ significantly in terms of the scores obtained in STAI X-1 and STAI X-2. Single respondents differed significantly from divorced ones in terms of STAI X-1 scores. Moreover, widows/widowers differed significantly from divorced ones in terms of STAI X-2, and GAD-7 scores. Respondents declaring their financial status as average differed significantly from those declaring their financial status as good in terms of: STAI X-1, STAI X-2, SHAI, and GAD-7 scores. Conclusions: The subjective experience of anxiety symptoms associated with fear of contracting COVID-19 was increased due to the ongoing pandemic, but was not significantly high in the analysed population of older people. COVID-19-related anxiety was significantly more common in lonely individuals and in those of worse financial status. Women and men differed significantly in terms of perceived state anxiety and trait anxiety measured by STAI. More studies addressing COVID-19-related anxiety in older people participating in the Polish Universities of the Third Age are needed to determine a more accurate distribution of this phenomenon in Poland.

Download Full-text

Tolerance for uncertainty in elderly people

Journal of Education Culture and Society ◽

10.15503/jecs20141.20.27 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 20-27

Author(s):

Khrystyna Kachmaryk ◽

Sophia Grabovska ◽

Kateryna Ostrovska ◽

Viktor Syniev

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Older People ◽

Elderly People ◽

The Elderly ◽

Control Group ◽

Third Age ◽

The Third ◽

Tolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

The University

The aim of the study. The aim of the paper is a comparison of tolerance to uncertainty in two groups of elderly: the students of the University of the Third Age (UTA) and older people who are not enrolled but help to educate grandchildren. A relation to uncertainty was shown to infl uence on decision making strategy of elderly that indicates on importance of the researches. Methods. To obtain the objectives of the paper the following methods were used: 1) Personal change readiness survey (PCRS) adapted by Nickolay Bazhanov and Galina Bardiyer; 2) Tolerance Ambiguity Scale (TAS) adapted by Galina Soldatova; 3) Freiburg personality inventory (FPI) and 4) The questionnaire of self-relation by Vladimir Stolin and Sergej Panteleev. 40 socially involved elderly people were investigated according the above methods, 20 from UTA and 20 who are not studied and served as control group. Results. It was shown that relations of tolerance to uncertainty in the study group of students of the University of the Third Age substantially differ from relations of tolerance to uncertainty in group of older people who do not learn. The majority of students of the University of the Third Age have an inherent low tolerance for uncertainty, which is associated with an increase in expression personality traits and characteristics in self-relation. The group of the elderly who are not enrolled increasingly shows tolerance of uncertainty, focusing on the social and trusting relationship to meet the needs of communication, and the ability to manage their own emotions and desires than a group of Third Age university students. Conclusions. The results of experimental research of the third age university student’s peculiarities of the tolerance to uncertainty were outlined. It was found that decision making in the ambiguity situations concerning social interaction is well developed in elderly who do not study. The students of the University of Third Age have greater needs in conversation, social interaction than the control group and should learn to make decisionin ambiguity or uncertainty situations.

Download Full-text

The University of the Third Age as an institution counteracting marginalization of older people

Journal of Education Culture and Society ◽

10.15503/jecs20112.38.44 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 38-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Aleksandra Marcinkiewicz

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

The Elderly ◽

Third Age ◽

The Third ◽

History Of ◽

History Of The University ◽

The University

The article presents the role of the University of the Third Age in counteracting the effects of marginalization of the elderly. The history of the University of the Third Age is presented and also different models of this institution are characterized. The paper presents new trends in research conducted by participants of the U3A and shown their relation to marginalization.

Download Full-text

Insect consumption in the Czech Republic: what the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed ◽

10.3920/jiff2020.0020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 525-535

Author(s):

M. Kulma ◽

V. Tůmová ◽

A. Fialová ◽

L. Kouřimská

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Older People ◽

Meat Products ◽

Point Of View ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Age And Gender ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

And Gender

A survey to test customers´ experience and preferences regarding food insects in the Czech Republic has revealed that 37.8% of the 1,340 respondents had experienced eating insects. Although more than half of the respondents reported their experience as being positive, only 11.8% consumed insects regularly. Of those who had no experience with edible insects, 14% stated their willingness to taste insects. Regarding preferences, ground insects or insect meal were the favourite forms of consumption, regardless of the species. From a sociodemographic point of view, age and gender significantly influenced the responses; younger people and men reported more positive attitudes towards entomophagy than older people and women. Regarding eating whole insects, processed crickets, katydids and locusts were the top-rated insects. Cockroaches were the least popular choice. The majority (77.7%) of the respondents also claimed that they would not mind consuming meat products originating from livestock that were fed insects.

Download Full-text