Abstract

The internet has become a common means by which many older adults seek out health information. The prevalence of misinformation on the internet makes the search for accurate online health information a more complex and evaluative process. This study examined the role of age and neurocognition in credibility evaluations of credible and non-credible health websites. Forty-one older adults and fifty younger adults completed a structured credibility rating task in which they evaluated a series of webpages displaying health information about migraine treatments. Participants also completed measures of neurocognition, internet use, and health literacy. Results suggested that older adults rated non-credible health websites as more credible than younger adults, but the age groups did not differ in their ratings of credible sites. Within the full sample, neurocognition was associated with credibility ratings for non-credible health websites, whereas health literacy was related to the ratings of credible sites. Findings indicate that older adults may be more likely to trust non-credible health websites than younger adults, which may be related to differences in higher-order neurocognitive functions. Future work might examine whether cognitive-based supports for credibility training in older adults can be used to improve the accuracy with which they evaluate online health information.

摘要

互联网已成为许多老年人寻找健康信息的常用手段。互联网上错误信息的盛行使得搜索准确的在线健康信息成为一个更加复杂和评估的过程。本研究考察了年龄和神经认知在可信和不可信健康网站的可信度评估中的作用。41 名老年人和 50 名年轻人完成了一项结构化的可信度评级任务，他们评估了一系列显示偏头痛治疗健康信息的网页。参与者还完成了神经认知、互联网使用和健康素养的测量。结果表明，老年人认为不可信的健康网站比年轻人更可信，但年龄组对可信网站的评价没有差异。在完整样本中，神经认知与非可信健康网站的可信度评级相关，而健康素养与可信网站的评级相关。研究结果表明，老年人可能比年轻人更可能信任不可信的健康网站，这可能与高阶神经认知功能的差异有关。未来的工作可能会检查是否可以使用基于认知的对老年人可信度培训的支持来提高他们评估在线健康信息的准确性。这可能与高阶神经认知功能的差异有关。未来的工作可能会检查是否可以使用基于认知的对老年人可信度培训的支持来提高他们评估在线健康信息的准确性。这可能与高阶神经认知功能的差异有关。未来的工作可能会检查是否可以使用基于认知的对老年人可信度培训的支持来提高他们评估在线健康信息的准确性。