Internet Use and Self-Rated Health Among Older People: A National Survey
Open Access
- 2 December 2009
- journal article
- Published by JMIR Publications Inc. in Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Vol. 11 (4), e49
- https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1311
Abstract
Background: Older people are among the segments of the population for which the digital divide is most persistent and are considered to be at risk of losing out on the potential benefits that the information society can provide to their quality of life. Little attention has been paid, however, to relationships between Internet use and actual indicators of health among older people. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between Internet use and self-rated health among older people and determine whether this association holds independently of socioeconomic position. Methods: Data were from a survey about the digital divide and quality of life among older people in Spain that was conducted in 2008. The final sample consisted of 709 individuals and was representative of the Spanish adult population in terms of Internet use and sex across two age groups (55-64 and 65-74 years). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health. Results: Results initially showed a significant relationship between Internet use and poor self-rated health (Model 1, OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.67, P = .002), suggesting that Internet users have better self-rated health than nonusers. This effect remained significant when other sociodemographic variables were entered into the equation (Model 2, OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.83, P = .01; Model 3, OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.87, P = .02). However, the significant relationship between Internet use and self-rated health disappeared once social class was considered (Model 4, OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.27-1.37, P = .23). Conclusions: This study suggests that the use of the Internet is not a significant determinant of health among older people once the socioeconomic position of individuals is taken into account. [J Med Internet Res 2009;11(4):e49]Keywords
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Inequalities in health at older ages: a longitudinal investigation of the onset of illness and survival effects in EnglandAge and Ageing, 2008
- Health at High SpeedCommunication Research, 2008
- The association between self-rated health and mortality in different socioeconomic groups in the GAZEL cohort studyInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 2007
- Social inequalities in self reported health in early old age: follow-up of prospective cohort studyBMJ, 2007
- Factors predicting the use of technology: Findings from the center for research and education on aging and technology enhancement (create).Psychology and Aging, 2006
- Using the Internet for Surveys and Health ResearchJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2002
- Social class and self-rated health: can the gradient be explained by differences in life style or work environment?Social Science & Medicine, 2000
- Determinants of self assessed health among Spanish older people living at homeJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1999
- Community Studies Reporting Association between Self-Rated Health and MortalityResearch on Aging, 1999
- The Use of Interactive Computer Services To Enhance the Quality of Life for Long-Term Care ResidentsThe Gerontologist, 1994