Han Madeline, Tan Xin Yi, Lee Rachael, Lee Jeong Kyu, Mahendran Rathi
Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
JMIR Aging. 2021 Feb 17;4(1):e23826. doi: 10.2196/23826.
The worldwide spread of digitalization has led to the harnessing of technology to improve health outcomes. Paying attention to older adults' social needs via social media is one way to promote healthy aging. Although 56% of older adults are smartphone users, little is known about their use patterns of social media.
This exploratory study aims to determine the experiences of social media apps' use among older adults in Singapore and understand their perceptions of its impact on health-related outcomes.
This study used a qualitative research design with an interpretative approach. Using maximum variation purposive sampling, normal aging older adults (N=16) who were aged between 60 and 80 years and experienced in the use of internet-enabled technology were recruited from an existing community study. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted. Employing a thematic analysis, interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for codes inductively.
The following themes and subthemes were identified as key moderators of older adults' experiences on social media apps: (1) personal attitudes: participants were encouraged to use social media due to the increased accessibility, which enabled the ease of contact, but perceptions that the quality of interactions was compromised and its associated risks reduced their use; and (2) social influences: the desire to bond with co-users and the availability of support increased use. In addition, use of social media apps was perceived to positively impact health through its ability to keep older adults cognitively engaged, improve health communication, and increase social connectedness. However, opinions remained mixed on older adults' vulnerability to social media addiction.
Personal and social contexts determine older adults' social media use. This study's findings provide practical insights into how social media can be deployed to improve health-related outcomes in older adults.
数字化在全球范围内的传播促使人们利用技术来改善健康状况。通过社交媒体关注老年人的社会需求是促进健康老龄化的一种方式。尽管56%的老年人是智能手机用户，但对于他们使用社交媒体的模式却知之甚少。
这项探索性研究旨在确定新加坡老年人使用社交媒体应用程序的体验，并了解他们对其对健康相关结果影响的看法。
本研究采用定性研究设计和解释性方法。通过最大差异目的抽样，从一项现有的社区研究中招募了年龄在60至80岁之间、有使用互联网技术经验的正常衰老老年人（N = 16）。进行了半结构化的深入访谈。采用主题分析，将访谈逐字转录并归纳分析代码。
以下主题和子主题被确定为老年人在社交媒体应用程序上体验的关键调节因素：（1）个人态度：由于使用便利性提高，参与者被鼓励使用社交媒体，这使得联系变得容易，但认为互动质量受到影响以及其相关风险降低了他们的使用频率；（2）社会影响：与共同用户建立联系的愿望和支持的可用性增加了使用频率。此外，人们认为使用社交媒体应用程序通过使老年人保持认知参与、改善健康沟通和增强社会联系，对健康产生积极影响。然而，对于老年人是否容易沉迷于社交媒体，意见仍存在分歧。
个人和社会背景决定了老年人对社交媒体的使用。本研究结果为如何利用社交媒体改善老年人的健康相关结果提供了实际见解。
