Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

Internet Use and Access to Health Information among Canadians: Are the Elderly on the Sidelines?

Ernest Johnson and Shanthi Johnson C

This study examined the use of the Internet to access health information online among Canadians and involved the secondary analysis of the Canadian household internet use survey data (n=33,832). The results showed that gender and marital status as well as the Internet use characteristics such as the location, frequency and duration were significantly related to individuals accessing health information online (p = 0.05) and age, education, occupation, income and the type of the Internet connection were not. The findings have implications for health promotion and health care delivery and provide the benchmark necessary for future trend-analyses in health information access.