Abstract
Vaccination is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to protect oneself against COVID-19. It is also well-known that older people are most vulnerable to COVID-19. This paper analyses the relationships between willingness to get the vaccine, health information seeking, and readiness to receive health information using digital technology among Estonian people aged ≥50. A cross-sectional survey was conducted one month after the first lockdown ended in the summer of 2020. According to the results, 268 (53.5%) respondents agreed to vaccinate, 153 (30.5%) expressed scepticism, and 80 (16%) were against it. Being male and having a higher education level significantly affected vaccination readiness. The more often the respondent felt the need for health information and the more recently they had searched the internet for health information, the more they agreed to be vaccinated and vice versa (rho = .14, p <.05). A weak positive correlation (rho = .25, p <.01) emerged between vaccination readiness and the need for a digital health application: the more such an application was needed, the more people agreed to be vaccinated. Those interested in vaccination tended to use a broader range of health information sources than the uninterested and hesitant respondents. The difference was statistically significant, p <.05, F (2,498) = 3.52, η2 = .014. The results indicate that if older people can obtain health information independently (e.g., by going online), they have more opportunities to make better health decisions. The outcomes should be considered when developing health strategies, especially during a crisis.
Presenters
Marianne PaimrePhD Student/Lecturer, School of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University, Harjumaa, Estonia Andri Ahven
Adviser, Criminal Policy Department, Ministry of Justice, Estonia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus: Digitizing Health and Wellbeing
KEYWORDS
Covid-19, Vaccination, Older adults, Health information seeking, Digital technology, Internet
