Seniors Are Left Behind When It Comes To Accessing Digital Resources

A new study claims that older Americans are yet not taking advantage of valuable health resources found online. This study was led by Dr.Yan Hong, the lead researcher at Texas A&M University. He leads a team that specializes in human health & behavior. The study found out there is still a huge digital divide between those who have access to the internet and those who don’t. Though internet usage is considered a norm, there are still huge numbers of people out there who don’t have access to the internet.

This is particularly the case with seniors or older adults. This is because of their reluctance to adapt to new technology and they are usually the last people to get on board when it comes to accessing technology. The Pew Research Center in a recent survey found out that only one percent of people in the age group 18 to 29 don’t go online. However, a huge 41 percent of adults older than sixty five years don’t go online.

The new survey conducted by Dr.Hong and his team was based on data collected nationwide from a group of adults above eighteen years of age. The survey data was collected for a period of several years spanning from 2003 to 2012, from around 15,800 participants. The study divided seniors in the age group of 55 to 64, 65 to 74, over 75 and those younger than 55. The study found out that internet usage has increased in 2011 when compared to the year 2003 among all the age groups above 55.

For instance, in the year 2003 only 16 percent of those over 75 used the internet. While in 2011, the numbers have increase to over 33 percent. However, it is to be noted that though the numbers had increased they were nowhere closer to the number of internet users in the age group 18 to 55.

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