Assessing the digital divide among older adults residing in an urban and suburban metropolitan area

The Internet can serve as a resource for older adults to access timely health information. While increasing percentages of older adults are going online, research continues to identify disparities in Internet access and use among older adults and among older adult population subgroups. The purpose of this presentation is to assess: (1) characteristics associated with older adults who have never used the Internet; (2) reasons why they have never used the Internet; and (3) implications of these findings for disseminating information, via the Internet, targeting this population. Data for this presentation are from Public Health Management Corporation's 2010 Household Health Survey, a biannual representative telephone and cell phone survey of 10,000 households in Philadelphia and surrounding Southeastern Pennsylvania Counties. We oversampled adults 60+ years of age. The analysis examines disparities in Internet use by demographic and socio-economic characteristics and reasons for this disparity. Preliminary findings reveal 43% of older adults have never used the Internet, and the three most common reasons include: lack of computer access (38%), no interest (35%), and difficulty of use (11%). Examining older adults who have never used the Internet, disparities exist by age group, educational attainment, employment status, gender, race/ethnicity, poverty status, and geographic location. Reasons why older adults have never used the Internet also reveal disparities by gender, race/ethnicity, poverty status, and geographic location. This presentation will discuss implications of these findings for providing education and outreach to older adults, especially as the Internet becomes an increasingly common tool used to deliver health information.