• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, March 9, 2005

Importance of Health Info Online to Take a Quantum Leap

A new national survey of older Americans, by the Kaiser Family Foundation, finds that less than a third of seniors (age 65 and older) have ever gone online, but that more than two-thirds of the next generation (ìalmostî seniors 50-64 yeas old) have done so. The differences are striking and indicate that online resources for health information may soon play a much larger role among older Americans, the report says.

• Twenty-one percent of seniors have gone online to look for health information compared to 53% of 50-64 year-olds.
• 8% of seniors get "a lot" of health information online compared to 24% of almost seniors.
• The Internet is 5th on a list of media sources of health information for seniors compared to first among almost seniors.
• 26% of seniors trust the Internet "a lot" or "some" to provide accurate health information, compared to 58% of almost seniors.

The survey also finds that a significant digital divide could leave those most in need with less information on which to base important health care decisions.

• only 15% of seniors whose annual household income is under $20,000 a year are likely to have gone online, while 40% of those with incomes between $20,000-49,000, and 65% of those with incomes of $50,000 a year or more have gone on line.
• 64% of seniors on Medicare fall into that lowest income category of under $20,000 a year, while just 8% have an income of $50,000 or more.
• And, seniors with only a high school degree or less are much less likely to have gone online than those with some college or a college degree (18% v. 45% v. 60%).

Drew Altman, President and CEO, Kaiser Family Foundation, says "We know that the Internet can be a great health tool for seniors, but the majority are lower-income, less well educated and not online. It's time for a national discussion on how to get seniors online."

Most popular health topics researched online are:

• 37% of online seniors (13% of all seniors) saying they've looked online for prescription drug information,
• 16% of online seniors say they have used the Internet to follow news coverage of health policy issues (5% of all seniors), while 14% say they have looked for information about health providers online (4% of all).

Computer Usage Among Seniors (65+) and Almost Seniors (50-64) in US in 2004 (% of respondents)
	Almost Seniors	Seniors
Have ever used a computer	76%	42%
Have a computer at home	73	41
Have ever gone online	70	31
Have internet access at home	64	33
Degree of Trust of Online Health Information (% of respondents)
	Almost Seniors	Seniors
A lot	19%	8%
Somewhat	39	18
Not too much	10	9
Not at all	24	46
Donít know	6	19
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, January 2005

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