A prescription for internet access: Appealing to older adults through social media networks to combat colorectal cancer

The popularity and usage of social media networks among American internet users age 50 and over doubled from 22% in 2009 to 42% in 2010. Today, 50% of internet users age 50-64 use social-networking sites and 31% do so on a typical day. This increase may be due to the likelihood that many older adults are living with a chronic disease and are more likely to reach out for support online. The growth of aging populations has increased the concern for colorectal cancer risk. This study investigates health related factors associated with current social media use among adults 50 and older. The 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey data (N=3, 959) was analyzed using SAS survey procedures. Individuals 50 and older (N= 2,234) were included in the analysis. In addition to bivariate statistics of selected variables, logistic regression was conducted to identify predictors of social media usage to seek out cancer information. Preliminary results show that age (50>) is a strong predictor of seeking cancer information via social media (OR= 0.95; p= 0.02); the likelihood of visiting a social-networking site to seek cancer information decreased by 5% with each year in age after controlling for race and talking with a doctor about a CRC screening. Further analysis will show at what age (50>) this decrease occurs. Social media networks have the potential to give health promoters and communicators novel ways to engage, inform and educate older Americans about colorectal cancer risk and prevention.