The study aims to narrow the gap of digital divide and unequal distribution of technology among older adults in low socioeconomic communities by designing an intervention, based on Bandura's Self-Efficacy Model, to assist older adults to engage the skills and competence in consumer health information retrieval and evaluation online.

Goal

To measure the psychosocial influences of computer anxiety, computer confidence and computer self-efficacy among older adults, 65 and above, who participate and complete a 5-week education intervention in health information retrieval and evaluation on the Internet.

Methodology

130 participants will be recruited and randomized to a controlled, 2-group, pre-post, repeated measure design. 65 participants in the intervention group will be given a 2-hour session, once a week for 5 weeks. The intervention will not be administered to the control group. The computer confidence and computer anxiety subscale of the Computer Attitude Scale (CAS), and the Computer Self-Efficacy Measure (SEM) will be administered to both groups at three time intervals: baseline, at the completion of the 5 week intervention, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention. Data will be analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Findings

Preliminary findings showed a reduction in computer anxiety (p=.003), an increase in computer confidence (p=.02), and computer self-efficacy (p=.01) in older adults (N=6) after completion of intervention as compared to older adults not in the program (N=6).

Discussion

With the rising numbers of older Americans using the Internet, findings will open up an array of possibilities to engage older adults with the use of internet health information resources to better contribute to their health, independence, safety and well-being.