Online Health Information Seeking Behaviour of Working and Non-working Estonian Older Adults as Compared to Students

摘要

This article focuses on online health information seeking behaviour (OHISB) of Estonian older adults who either continue or have stopped working after retirement. In order to shed light on the digital divide between generations their OHISB was compared to that of university students'. 30 interviews with seniors and 20 with university students were conducted followed by a think aloud protocol. The results of this study suggest that there might not be any major differences in OHISB between working pensioners, who due to the nature of their' work have regular access to computers, and the young people. On the other hand, the working and non-working older adults may differ markedly in this respect. The fully retired seniors not using computers or other digital devices, cited lack of skills as the main reason for their' inactivity. In order to successfully harness all the benefits of digital solutions, the economic situation and digital skills of the senior citizens in full-time retirement should be improved first. This article highlights the digital divide in that particular age cohort warranting further investigation.