Designing an Innovative Intergenerational Educational Program to Bridge the Digital Divide: The Cyber School for Grandparents Initiative

Rolandi, E; Sala, Emanuela; Colombo, Mauro; Vaccaro, Roberta; Guaita, Antonio

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-05654-3_28

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…As internet use seems to have beneficial effects on social capital maintenance and psychological and cognitive health in older adults, policymakers may develop initiatives that encourage the adoption of digital devices among older adults or strengthen their digital skills. Such initiatives may include, but are not limited to, intergenerational educational programmes through which young adults act as "cyber tutors" for older people [66,67] and courses to improve digital literacy in old age [68]. This work seeks to enrich the current body of knowledge on the effects of ICT use on older adults' social capital and health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Title: Inequalities in Internet Access and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults’ Social Capital and Health: A Longitudinal Cohort Study (Preprint)

Valla,

Rossi,

Gaia

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, information and communication technology (ICT) became crucial for staying connected with loved ones and accessing health services. In this scenario, disparities in ICT use may have exacerbated other forms of inequality, especially among older adults who were less familiar with technology and more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 health consequences. OBJECTIVE This study investigated changes in ICT use, psychological and physical health, and social capital before and after the pandemic among the oldest old population (aged 80 years or older after the pandemic) and explored how internet use influenced these changes. METHODS We leveraged data from the InveCe.Ab study, a population-based longitudinal cohort of people born between 1935 and 1939 and living in Abbiategrasso, a municipality on the outskirts of Milan, Italy. Participants underwent multidimensional assessment at baseline (2010) and after 2, 4, 8 and 12 years. We restricted our analysis to cohort members who participated in the last wave (i.e., 2022) and who did not have a diagnosis of dementia (N=391). We used linear mixed models to assess the impact of COVID-19 and time on changes in social capital, physical and psychological health, and ICT use in a discontinuity regression design while controlling for age, sex, education and income satisfaction. Then, we assessed the influence of internet use and its interaction with COVID-19 on these changes. RESULTS COVID-19 had a significant impact on social relationships (β=-4.35, 95% CI 6.38 – -2.32, P= <0.001), cultural activities (β=-0.56, 95% CI -0.76 – -0.37, P= <0.001), cognitive functioning (β=-1.00, 95% CI -1.28 – -0.72, P= <0.001), depressive symptoms (β= 0.42, 95% CI 0.10 – 0.74, P =0.009), physical health (β= 0.07, 95% CI 0.04 – 0.10, P= <0.001) and ICT use (β= -0.11, 95% CI -0.18 – -0.03, P =0.008). Internet use predicts greater social relationships (β=3.34, 95% CI 0.61 – 6.07, P =0.017), cognitive functioning (β= 0.70, 95% CI 0.33 1.06, P = <0.001) and reduced depressive symptoms (β=-0.49, 95% CI -0.91 – -0.06, P =0.025) over time. The interaction term of internet use * COVID-19 was significant for cultural activities (β=-0.73, 95% CI -1.22 – -0.24, P =0.003) and cognitive functioning (β=1.36, 95% CI 0.67 – 2.05, P = <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The pandemic had adverse effects on older adults’ health and social capital. Contrary to expectations, even ICT use dropped significantly after the pandemic. Internet users maintained higher social relationships and psychological health regardless of time and COVID-19 status. However, COVID-19 was associated with a steeper decline in cognitive functioning among internet nonusers. Policymakers may develop initiatives to encourage ICT adoption among older adults or strengthen their digital skills. CLINICALTRIAL NCT01345110

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Title: Inequalities in Internet Access and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults’ Social Capital and Health: A Longitudinal Cohort Study (Preprint)

Valla,

Rossi,

Gaia

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…It is a short 16-questions version of the Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ) which presents to respondents several digital related tasks, from turning on and off the device to deleting games and application, and asks them how confident they are in performing such tasks (Roque and Boot, 2018 ). Members of our research team used this measure in another study (Rolandi et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Methods and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the impact of a peer-education digital literacy course on older adults' digital skills and wellbeing: a mixed-methods study protocol

Pizzul,

Sala,

Caliandro

et al. 2024

Front. Sociol.

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The digital transition poses relevant challenges and opportunities for older adults in aging European societies. To unleash the potential of the digital transition in old age and avoid the risk of exclusion, digital education for older adults seems to be a valuable solution. One of the most suitable approaches to digital education for older adults appears to be the peer-to-peer approach. However, not much literature is available on this topic. Within the ACTIVE-IT project, we aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a digital peer education course for older adults, focusing specifically on the use of smartphones and daily utility apps, such as mailing, e-Gov, and e-commerce. The purpose of this contribution is to document the protocol adopted to evaluate the course. The course involved 32 participants aged 65 or older, who, between March 2024 and June 2024, divided into three groups, attended a 10-lesson weekly course taught by a peer. We aim to measure the effect of the course on participants' digital skills and their perceived wellbeing. To do so, we will adopt a mixed methods approach, employing: digital methods by collecting and analyzing data on participants' smartphone use (i.e., log data on smartphone use before/during/after the intervention); a quasi-experiment, collecting information on course participants' wellbeing before/after the course attendance using a questionnaire survey; ethnographic observation conducted during the course, observing interactions between subjects during the course. The study has been approved by the Ethic Committee of the University of Milano Bicocca (prot.nr. 167541/2024).

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Associations between older adults’ social media use behaviors and psychosocial well-being

Lee

Yen

2023

Aging Clin Exp Res

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Designing an Innovative Intergenerational Educational Program to Bridge the Digital Divide: The Cyber School for Grandparents Initiative

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Title: Inequalities in Internet Access and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults’ Social Capital and Health: A Longitudinal Cohort Study (Preprint)

Title: Inequalities in Internet Access and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults’ Social Capital and Health: A Longitudinal Cohort Study (Preprint)

Evaluating the impact of a peer-education digital literacy course on older adults' digital skills and wellbeing: a mixed-methods study protocol

Associations between older adults’ social media use behaviors and psychosocial well-being

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