JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Understanding how older patients with chronic illnesses use the Internet to obtain health information is relevant for the design of digital interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults 65 years and older, which represent the sickest, most expensive, and fastest growing segment of the US population.

Objective:

The objective of our study was to describe online health information-seeking behavior among older patients with chronic illnesses and to compare the characteristics of patients who report using the Internet to obtain health information with those who do not.

Methods:

Study population included 72,806 women aged 65 years and older enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a national cohort study, who completed a 2014 supplemental questionnaire assessing everyday technology use and Internet use for researching health conditions. Comparisons were made between participants with and without a history of chronic illness and between users and non-users of online sources for health information. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

59% of older women used the Internet for health information. Compared with women who did not use the Internet to obtain health information, those who used the Internet were younger (median age: 76 v 81 years), more likely to be non-Hispanic white (91% v 88%), earned a higher income (over 50K: 57% v 35%), achieved a higher educational level (more than high school: 88% v 75%), and were more likely to live with a partner (56% v 41%); all p<0.001. Women with Alzheimer’s were the least likely to report online health information-seeking compared to those without the disease (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.38- 0.43). In contrast, women with a recent diagnosis of cancer, within the previous two years (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.11-1.36) or 2-5 years ago (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.00-1.19), were the most likely to use the Internet for health information.

Conclusions:

Nearly 6 in 10 older women participating in the WHI reported using the Internet to obtain health information. Patients recently diagnosed with cancer are more likely to be looking for health information online, even after adjustment for age, suggesting that these patients may have greater need for digital health resources.