Digital Health and Older Adult Well-Being: The Role of Social Technology
Author Information
Author(s): Shannon Power
Primary Institution: University of Georgia
Hypothesis
Does social technology use mediate the relationship between digital health use and well-being in older adults?
Conclusion
Digital health use is negatively associated with well-being, but social technology use partially mediates this relationship, suggesting it may enhance well-being.
Supporting Evidence
- Digital health use has expanded as an accessible health care option for older adults.
- Social technology use is known to improve quality of life for older adults.
- The study found a significant negative association between digital health use and well-being.
- Adding social technology use as a mediator reversed the direction of the association between digital health use and well-being.
Takeaway
Older adults use technology to stay connected, but using digital health tools might not make them feel better unless they also use social technology.
Methodology
Data from the 2022 National Health and Aging Trends Study was analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Limitations
The study may not fully capture the reasons behind the negative association between digital health use and well-being.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily White (64%), female (58%), aged 65-79 (52%), and lived in urban areas (84%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<.001
Confidence Interval
CI 0.24-0.46
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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