Why Older Adults Avoid Health Information—and How to Help
A significant challenge for older adults in navigating online health information is the complexity of the content, with 'cyberchondria' playing a role in health information avoidance. This behaviour, affecting roughly one-third of people worldwide, is not inherently irrational and is influenced by social and structural factors.
Perceived stigma and information overload are the strongest predictors of information avoidance. This can manifest in behaviours such as postponing or skipping doctor's appointments, refusing medical tests, and ignoring patient education materials. Patterns of health information avoidance vary across world regions, reflecting differences in healthcare systems and cultural contexts.
Interestingly, information avoidance is not a fixed trait. It fluctuates with daily mood and circumstances, with no significant carryover effect to the following day. The prevalence of information avoidance also varies significantly by condition, ranging from 24% for diabetes to 41% for Alzheimer's disease.
While there's no comprehensive international data on the influence of truthfulness on trust in medical care and its impact on information avoidance, transparent and truthful information generally strengthens trust in healthcare systems, which can reduce the tendency to avoid critical health information.
To enhance patient engagement, key strategies include building trust, reducing stigma, addressing information overload, strengthening self-efficacy, and improving digital health communication. These steps can help mitigate the challenge of health information avoidance, particularly for older adults navigating complex online health information.
