Aging in a Digitizing World

Objective: Describe variation in digital communication technology (DCT) use among low-income, urban-dwelling African-American adults and compare to national norms. Methods: In 2009, DCT use among low-income, urban-dwelling African-American adults ≥35 years was quantified via interviewer-administered surveys for two samples: 1) recruited via address-based probability sampling (N=84), and 2) recruited using probabilistic selection of residents within purposively sampled high-turnover housing units (N=53). DCT use was stratified by age (35-49, 50-64, and ≥65) and compared to national samples. Results: Eighty percent of respondents had a cell phone, 56% had ever text messaged, and 61% had ever used the internet. Compared to those aged 35-49 and 50-64, respondents ≥65 were less likely to have a cell phone (84% and 89% versus 67%, p=0.02), have ever text messaged (79% and 56% versus 15%, p<0.01), and have ever used the internet (89% and 67% versus 21%, p<0.001). Internet uptake (21%) among respondents ≥65 years old was similar to estimates for African-Americans in national samples including the 2005-2006 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (24.5%), 2007 Health Information and National Trends Survey (19.4%) and higher than 2008 estimates from the Health and Retirement Study (14.7%). Discussion: Findings indicate the importance of age-stratification for studies of DCT use, and suggest use among underserved populations is similar to use among African-Americans nationally. Older adults, especially in low-income regions, may stand to gain the most from DCT use for health, and should not be overlooked as new technologies emerge