Journal article
Online Health-Information Seeking Among Older Populations: Family Influences and the Role of the Medical Professional
Health communication, Vol.34(8), pp.859-871
07/03/2019
DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2018.1439265
PMCID: PMC6230499
PMID: 29474125
Abstract
There are myriad technological devices, computer programs, and online information sources available for people to manage their health and the health of others. However, people must be technologically and health literate and capable of accessing, analyzing, and sharing the information they encounter. The authors interviewed middle-aged and older adults about their online health information seeking behavior and discovered that technology and health literacy are influenced by a collective ability to manage the health and technological needs of a family. We used information management theory to frame participants' experiences of their self-efficacy using technology to manage the health of loved ones. Findings suggest that health can be co-managed if at least one person in a family unit is technologically "savvy" and able to effectively share health information. However, individuals' confidence in their own literacy often depends on others, usually family members who tend to "do" instead of "teach."
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Online Health-Information Seeking Among Older Populations: Family Influences and the Role of the Medical Professional
- Creators
- Kate Magsamen-Conrad - Department of Communication, Bowling Green State UniversityJeanette M Dillon - Department of General Education, Western Governors UniversityChina Billotte Verhoff - Lamb School of Communication, Purdue UniversitySandra L Faulkner - Department of Communication, Bowling Green State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Health communication, Vol.34(8), pp.859-871
- DOI
- 10.1080/10410236.2018.1439265
- PMID
- 29474125
- PMCID
- PMC6230499
- NLM abbreviation
- Health Commun
- ISSN
- 1041-0236
- eISSN
- 1532-7027
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Grant note
- Bowling Green State University (10.13039/100006633) R24HD050959 / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (10.13039/100000071)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/03/2019
- Academic Unit
- Communication Studies
- Record Identifier
- 9984001102602771
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