New technology and old habits: The role of age as a technology chasm

Familiarity with and use of computers is increasingly cited as a limiting factor related to the potential of the Internet as an effective healthcare resource for the elderly. This study sought to examine differences across age groups in their access to and use of computers and the Internet as a health information resource. We perform multivariate analysis with data from a stratified sample of survey-reported health information-seeking behaviors on the Internet. The results suggest that access to online health information among Internet users varies significantly from the use of computers and Internet. Younger participants showed the highest rates in the use of computer and Internet, and exhibited the lowest rates in the access to online health information. In 2000, 56.7% and 55.9% of medium and older Internet users ever looked for health information on the Web, respectively, whereas 49.4% of young Internet users ever did. By 2002, these fractions had increased by 14.6%, 13.5% and 9.1%, respectively. The comparison of ORs between 2000 and 2002 indicated that the gap is somewhat increased, although the increase was not statistically significant at 0.05 level (the ORs of old to young at2000 = 1.30 [0.933, 1.817]; the ORs at2002 = 1.61 [1.157, 2.255]). Findings show that the gap between old and young seekers users of computers and the Internet for information appears to have widened in recent years, even as advocates of consumer-centric healthcare continue to promote the Internet as a key source of empowerment for the elderly.