Engaging with digital health: a cross-sectional study of older adults’ use of online health information exchange
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Autor:in (Körperschaft)
Publikationsdatum
07.10.2026
Typ der Arbeit
Studiengang
Typ
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Herausgeber:innen
Herausgeber:in (Körperschaft)
Betreuer:in
Übergeordnetes Werk
Frontiers in Digital Health
Themenheft
DOI der Originalpublikation
Link
Zugehörige Forschungsdaten
Reihe / Serie
Reihennummer
Jahrgang / Band
8
Ausgabe / Nummer
Seiten / Dauer
Patentnummer
Verlag / Herausgebende Institution
Frontiers Research Foundation
Verlagsort / Veranstaltungsort
Auflage
Version
Programmiersprache
Abtretungsempfänger:in
Praxispartner:in/Auftraggeber:in
Zusammenfassung
Background
Online health information exchange (OHIE) increasingly shapes how individuals interact with healthcare providers and peers. Yet, despite older adults’ often high need for health information, their engagement with OHIE remains insufficiently understood, given persistent age-related differences in digital access and skills.
Methods
This study draws on a population-based survey of older adults aged 60 + in Switzerland (N = 1,261) to analyze three types of OHIE: interactions with doctors, other healthcare providers, and peers. Logistic regression models were used to assess how sociodemographic, health-related, behavioral, and competence-based factors are associated with OHIE.
Results
Older adults reported higher use of digital interactions with professionals than with peers. Digital competence was significantly associated with OHIE with doctors and other healthcare providers across all lower competence levels, and, to a more limited extent, with peer-based OHIE, where the association was significant only for basic competence. Peer-based OHIE was predicted by lower levels of education and a greater tendency to seek social support. Common barriers among non-users included concerns about credibility and distrust, as well as a lack of digital experience.
Conclusions
OHIE among older adults reflects differentiated patterns depending on the interaction context. While OHIE with professionals is primarily associated with digital competence, peer-based digital interactions appear to be shaped more by sociodemographic (such as education) and motivational aspects (such as support seeking). These findings highlight the importance of addressing not only digital skills but also trust, usability, and digital judgment when designing inclusive digital health environments for aging populations.
Schlagwörter
Fachgebiet (DDC)
Veranstaltung
Startdatum der Ausstellung
Enddatum der Ausstellung
Startdatum der Konferenz
Enddatum der Konferenz
Datum der letzten Prüfung
ISBN
ISSN
2673-253X
Sprache
Englisch
Während FHNW Zugehörigkeit erstellt
Ja
Zukunftsfelder FHNW
Publikationsstatus
Pre-Print im Druck
Begutachtung
peer-reviewed
Open Access-Status
Gold
Lizenz
Zitation
Sepahniya, S., Bachofner, Y., Bayer-Oglesby, L., Seifert, A., & Fabian, C. (2026). Engaging with digital health: a cross-sectional study of older adults’ use of online health information exchange. Frontiers in Digital Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1937500