Glendon College, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Oct 15;20(1):1554. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09659-5.
Older adults benefit considerably from Internet use, as it can improve their overall health and quality of life, for example through accessing healthcare services and reducing social isolation. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and characteristics of Indigenous older adults in Canada who do not use the Internet.
The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) 2017 was used and analysis was restricted to those above 65 years of age. The main outcome variable was non-use of the internet in a typical month. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between each of the sociodemographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and health factors and internet non-use.
The prevalence of Indigenous older adults who reported never using the Internet in a typical month was 33.6% with the highest prevalence reported by residents of the Canadian territories while the lowest prevalence was reported in British Columbia. After adjustment, results indicated that older age (OR = 4.02, 95% CI 3.54-4.57 comparing 80+ to 65-69 years of age), being a male (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.41-1.63), married (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.25-1.44), and living in rural areas (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.79-2.13) increased the odds of not using the Internet. First Nation individuals and those who have a strong sense of belonging to the Indigenous identity were more likely to not use the Internet compared to their counterparts. In addition, those who were less educated (OR = 8.74, 95% CI 7.03-1 0.87 comparing less than secondary education to Bachelor's Degree and above), unemployed (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.26-1.57), smoked cigarettes, used marijuana and those with lower self-perceived mental health and unmet health needs were at increased odds of Internet non-use compared to their counterparts.
Findings from this study show that a large proportion of the Indigenous older adults in Canada do not use the internet. It is necessary to address Indigenous communities' lack of internet access and to create interventions that are consistent with Indigenous values, traditions, and goals.
老年人从互联网使用中受益匪浅，因为它可以改善他们的整体健康和生活质量，例如通过获取医疗服务和减少社会隔离。本研究的目的是评估加拿大不使用互联网的土著老年人的比例和特征。
使用 2017 年原住民调查（Aboriginal Peoples Survey，APS），并将分析仅限于 65 岁以上的人群。主要结局变量为在典型月份内不使用互联网。采用多变量逻辑回归评估社会人口统计学、社会经济、生活方式和健康因素与互联网不使用之间的关系。
在典型月份内报告从未使用过互联网的土著老年人的比例为 33.6%，其中加拿大领土的居民报告的比例最高，而不列颠哥伦比亚省的比例最低。调整后，结果表明年龄较大（80 岁以上与 65-69 岁相比，OR=4.02，95%CI 3.54-4.57）、男性（OR=1.52，95%CI 1.41-1.63）、已婚（OR=1.34，95%CI 1.25-1.44）和居住在农村地区（OR=1.95，95%CI 1.79-2.13）会增加不使用互联网的几率。与同龄人相比，第一民族个人和对土著身份有强烈认同感的人更有可能不使用互联网。此外，与受过高等教育（与中学以下教育相比，OR=8.74，95%CI 7.03-1.08，获得学士学位及以上）、就业（OR=1.41，95%CI 1.26-1.57）、吸烟、使用大麻以及自我报告心理健康状况较差和未满足健康需求的人相比，不使用互联网的几率更高。
本研究结果表明，加拿大很大一部分土著老年人不使用互联网。有必要解决土著社区互联网接入不足的问题，并制定符合土著价值观、传统和目标的干预措施。
