Public library computer training for older adults to access high-quality Internet health information

Abstract

An innovative experiment to develop and evaluate a public library computer training program to teach older adults to access and use high-quality Internet health information involved a productive collaboration among public libraries, the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a Library and Information Science (LIS) academic program at a state university. One hundred and thirty-one older adults aged 54-89 participated in the study between September 2007 and July 2008. Key findings include: a) participants had overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the training program; b) after learning about two NIH websites (http://nihseniorhealth.gov and http://medlineplus.gov) from the training, many participants started using these online resources to find high quality health and medical information and, further, to guide their decision-making regarding a health-or medically-related matter; and c) computer anxiety significantly decreased (p < .001) while computer interest and efficacy significantly increased (p = .001 and p < .001, respectively) from pre-to post-training, suggesting statistically significant improvements in computer attitudes between pre-and post-training. The findings have implications for public libraries, LIS academic programs, and other organizations interested in providing similar programs in their communities.

Examining Supportive Evidence for Psychosocial Theories of Aging within the Oral History Narratives of Centenarians

“…This is not surprising given that the world has changed significantly in the span of 100 years. As Xie and Bugg [69] pointed out, older adults are at risk of being left behind when it comes to technological advancements. It is not surprising then that some older adults reported difficulty keeping up with all of the changes related to technology.…”

Self-reported eHealth literacy among undergraduate nursing students in South Korea: A pilot study

“…According to Fox (2006), people lacking eHealth literacy need to be educated by health professionals to improve their eHealth literacy skills. Indeed, some studies show that people who have education interventions increased their eHealth literacy and experienced positive changes in their health-related behavior and decision making (Xie and Bugg, 2009;Xie, 2011aXie, , 2011b. eHealth literacy is also required of health professionals so that they are able to help patients and families find up-to-date, reliable, and quality health information (Eberhart-Phillips et al, 2000;Anselmo et al, 2004;Ivanitskaya et al, 2010).…”

Older adults, e-health literacy, and collaborative learning: An experimental study

“…Building on and expanding the CL literature, along with the author's prior research on older adults' computer learning (Xie, 2005(Xie, , 2006(Xie, , 2007a(Xie, , 2007b(Xie, , 2007c(Xie, , 2008a(Xie, , 2008b(Xie, , 2008c(Xie, , 2010Xie & Bugg, 2009;Xie & Jaeger, 2008), an e-health literacy intervention, Electronic Health Information for LifeLong Learners via Collaborative Learning (eHILLL-CL), was developed and tested. This article first addresses the CL theories, findings, and gaps, and then reports the experimental results of the eHILLL-CL intervention.…”