E-Health for Older People: The Use of Technology in Health Promotion

Abstract

To meet the needs of frail older people and to promote functional longevity, providing health education and disease prevention to the elderly is important. The present study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an e-health program for older persons. The objective of the 4-week e-health program was to improve elders' autonomous access to and use of health-related information in the form of physical exercise videography from a government-sponsored Web site. The content of the program included participants' mastery of basic computing skills and accessing and enhancing participants' interest in seeking health-related knowledge and information via the Internet. Data were collected in weeks 1 (pretest) and 4 (posttest) using questionnaires and open-ended questions. Thirty older people participated in the study (9 males, 21 females, aged 65-80 years, with the mean age of 72). Participants' mastery of basic computer operating skills increased significantly (p < 0.05); they were able to access health information via the Internet and had gained health-related knowledge by week 4 posttest (p < 0.05). The overall learning experience was positive. In conclusion, the collaboration of community partners in sponsoring a technology-based e-health program would be an effective way to provide health education to older people.

Comparison between web-based and paper versions of a self-administered anthropometric questionnaire

“…This will advance our understanding of the relationship between anthropometry and health outcome. The internet also promises a new generation of tools for public health improvement [32], such as e-learning [33], nutritional education [34] and lifestyle counselling [35] in the field of weight management and health in general.…”

Portuguese older people and the Internet: Interaction, uses, motivations, and obstacles

“…This instruction would be particularly relevant for health information, since 68.3 % of participants had used it to read up on topics related to health. The Internet could be useful for providing healthrelated information (Tse, Choi, and Leung, 2008), although the quality of information often varies (Morahan, 2004).…”

An e-Health System for the Elderly (Butler Project): A Pilot Study on Acceptance and Satisfaction

“…The Nostalgia system 16 allows its users to listen to old news and 20th-century music. Tse et al 17 conducted a study in which they describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an e-health program for elderly people, the results of which showed a significant increase in users' computer skills; it enabled them to access information via the Internet and expand their knowledge in the field of health. They evaluated the learning experience very positively.…”