Many countries and areas are experiencing rapid population aging, including China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, the U.S., Northern and Western European countries, the U.K, etc. Accordingly, an emerging body of studies has been conducted exploring older people’s health. But more investigations are needed as older people continue to be confronted with increasing public health risks. In particular, the digital gap or the digital divide facing the aged, which refers to the fact that many older people are not familiar with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) or they do not have access to ICTs, has attracted rising academic attention. The COVID-19 pandemic has put this issue into the forefront.
In this Research Topic, we call for manuscripts on topics concerning older people’s physical and mental health, health awareness, health literacy, health beliefs, health behaviors, other health practices, and health disparities in the era of digitalization. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods are welcomed to comprehensively explore older people’s health at the individual-, family-, community-, and macro-levels. Potential topics for submission include but are not limited to:
(1) Older people’s need for care and structural obstacles that they face due to digital gaps in daily lives.
(2) How can ICTs assist caregiving and care-receiving for older people, especially the roles of ICTs in interactions with families, relatives, care workers, and health professionals.
(3) Underlying reasons resulting in health inequalities due to the access to ICTs among older people.
(4) How can ICTs help older people maintain active aging so that they can keep their quality of life and health through social participation and engagement as they age.
(5) The use of ICTs, digital isolation/empowerment, and their influences on health among older people.
(6) The opportunities and difficulties facing older people in the E-health era include the emerging use of medical APPs.
(7) Mechanisms on how emerging social media usage, online community participation, and online misinformation exposure influence older people’s health beliefs and health behavior adoption.
(8) Health interventions based on current digital technologies aim to increase the health needs of older people.
(9) The use of mixed methods in health studies related to older people’s health on the above-listed topics.
Many countries and areas are experiencing rapid population aging, including China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, the U.S., Northern and Western European countries, the U.K, etc. Accordingly, an emerging body of studies has been conducted exploring older people’s health. But more investigations are needed as older people continue to be confronted with increasing public health risks. In particular, the digital gap or the digital divide facing the aged, which refers to the fact that many older people are not familiar with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) or they do not have access to ICTs, has attracted rising academic attention. The COVID-19 pandemic has put this issue into the forefront.
In this Research Topic, we call for manuscripts on topics concerning older people’s physical and mental health, health awareness, health literacy, health beliefs, health behaviors, other health practices, and health disparities in the era of digitalization. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods are welcomed to comprehensively explore older people’s health at the individual-, family-, community-, and macro-levels. Potential topics for submission include but are not limited to:
(1) Older people’s need for care and structural obstacles that they face due to digital gaps in daily lives.
(2) How can ICTs assist caregiving and care-receiving for older people, especially the roles of ICTs in interactions with families, relatives, care workers, and health professionals.
(3) Underlying reasons resulting in health inequalities due to the access to ICTs among older people.
(4) How can ICTs help older people maintain active aging so that they can keep their quality of life and health through social participation and engagement as they age.
(5) The use of ICTs, digital isolation/empowerment, and their influences on health among older people.
(6) The opportunities and difficulties facing older people in the E-health era include the emerging use of medical APPs.
(7) Mechanisms on how emerging social media usage, online community participation, and online misinformation exposure influence older people’s health beliefs and health behavior adoption.
(8) Health interventions based on current digital technologies aim to increase the health needs of older people.
(9) The use of mixed methods in health studies related to older people’s health on the above-listed topics.
