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Gender Aspect in Online Health Information Seeking Behavior Among Estonians Aged ≥ 50 During the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (ICT4AWE 2021, ICT4AWE 2022)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1856))

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Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools are essential in accessing health information (HI) today, which has proven to be especially true under pandemic conditions. Since older people have been the most at risk of Covid-19 and many do not use new technology, this article focuses on older adults’ online health information seeking behavior (OHISB) in the digitally advanced Eastern European country Estonia. A survey involving 500 people aged 50 and over was conducted in 2020. As expected, men reported better access to computers and smart devices and were also more willing to use digital health applications. However, women prioritized remote communication with medical personnel. The perceived need for HI and the frequency of searching for it were similar for men and women. However, in the older age group (≥65), female internet users claimed to search HI more frequently. Higher education among older men was associated with more intensive information seeking in the past 30 days. As expected, women tend to use a greater variety of HI sources. The fact that men were more eager to vaccinate against Covid-19 indicates that they may not be as oblivious to their health as commonly believed. The results of the study imply that older people in Estonia, well-educated men in particular, are enthusiastic digital technology users for health purposes. Men’s interest in ICT devices and digital health applications should be considered more when developing health strategies and campaigns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120, Tallinn, Estonia

    Marianne Paimre & Kairi Osula

  2. Tallinn Health Care College, Kännu 17, 13418, Tallinn, Estonia

    Marianne Paimre

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  1. Marianne Paimre
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  2. Kairi Osula
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Correspondence to Marianne Paimre .

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  1. Wrocław University of Economics Institute of Business Informatics and Macquarie University,, Wroclaw, Poland

    Leszek A. Maciaszek

  2. University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, UK

    Maurice D. Mulvenna

  3. RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

    Martina Ziefle

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Paimre, M., Osula, K. (2023). Gender Aspect in Online Health Information Seeking Behavior Among Estonians Aged ≥ 50 During the Covid-19 Pandemic. In: Maciaszek, L.A., Mulvenna, M.D., Ziefle, M. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health. ICT4AWE ICT4AWE 2021 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1856. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37496-8_10

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