THE PANDEMIC AND DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR OLDER ADULTS: LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS FROM THE NATIONAL HEALTH AGING TRENDS STUDY
2024
The Pandemic and Digital Divide for Older Adults
Sample size: 1717
publication
Author Information
Author(s): Kim BoRin, Park Joonhyeog, Cho Joonyoung, Park Sojung
Hypothesis
The study investigates the impact of the pandemic on the digital divide among older adults and their use of information and communication technologies.
Conclusion
The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide among older adults, highlighting the importance of social support in facilitating ICT use.
Supporting Evidence
- Older adults have been disadvantaged in utilizing information and communication technologies (ICTs).
- The pandemic underscored the importance of ICTs in facilitating remote activities.
- Four distinct clusters of ICT use were identified among older adults.
- More than 90% of older adults in minimal and diverse/heavy user groups stayed in the same group over time.
Takeaway
Older adults had a hard time using technology during the pandemic, and those with more social support were better at using it.
Methodology
Latent transition profile analysis and multinominal regression analyses were used to analyze ICT use transitions among older adults.
Participant Demographics
Respondents over 70 years at the baseline.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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