IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i15p9509-d878769.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What Drives Elderly People in China Away from COVID-19 Information?

Author

Listed:
  • Xudong Gao

    (Department of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China)

  • Feng Ding

    (Library and Information Science, School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Ting Ai

    (Psychological Counseling Center, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China)

Abstract

Background : A worrying phenomenon has emerged in recent years: a growing number of people have stopped seeking coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) information and have started deliberately avoiding it. Even though the virulence of COVID-19 has now weakened, the proportion of severe illnesses and deaths in elderly people is still much higher than in other age groups. However, no study has focused on this topic. This is the first study to explore the level of COVID-19 information avoidance among elderly people, and to identify the barriers and potential factors associated therewith. Methods : Convenience sampling was used to recruit 907 elderly people in Wuhan, China. Data collection measures included a sociodemographic questionnaire, health information avoidance scale, information overload scale, general self-efficacy scale, and health anxiety inventory. Results : A total of 72.3% of elderly participants reported COVID-19 information avoidance. Regarding COVID-19-related information reading habits, 44.5% of the elderly only read the title, 16.0% merely skimmed through the content, and 22.9% skipped all relevant information. The most common reasons for this result were information overload (67.5%), underestimation of the infection risk (58.1%), and uselessness of information (56.4%). The main factors associated with COVID-19 information avoidance were recorded as information overload, age, health anxiety, and children ( p < 0.05). Conclusions : China should strengthen its health communication regarding COVID-19 in accordance with the characteristics of elderly people, adopt more attractive publicity methods on traditional media, improve censorship about health information, and pay more attention to the childless elderly and the elderly aged 80 and above.

Suggested Citation

  • Xudong Gao & Feng Ding & Ting Ai, 2022. "What Drives Elderly People in China Away from COVID-19 Information?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-10, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9509-:d:878769
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9509/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9509/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lipsey, Nikolette P. & Shepperd, James A., 2019. "Powerful audiences are linked to health information avoidance: Results from two surveys," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 51-59.
    2. Ramey Moore & Don E. Willis & Sumit K. Shah & Rachel S. Purvis & Xochitl Shields & Pearl A. McElfish, 2021. "“The Risk Seems Too High”: Thoughts and Feelings about COVID-19 Vaccination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.
    3. Amanda Hudson & William J. Montelpare, 2021. "Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy: Implications for COVID-19 Public Health Messaging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Eibich, Peter & Goldzahl, Léontine, 2020. "Health information provision, health knowledge and health behaviours: Evidence from breast cancer screening," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    5. Abdelkarim Aloweidi & Isam Bsisu & Aiman Suleiman & Sami Abu-Halaweh & Mahmoud Almustafa & Mohammad Aqel & Aous Amro & Neveen Radwan & Dima Assaf & Malak Ziyad Abdullah & Malak Albataineh & Aya Mahasn, 2021. "Hesitancy towards COVID-19 Vaccines: An Analytical Cross–Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-12, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eibich, Peter & Goldzahl, Léontine, 2021. "Does retirement affect secondary preventive care use? Evidence from breast cancer screening," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    2. Takeshi Yoda & Nagisa Iwasaki & Hironobu Katsuyama, 2023. "Willingness to Pay for COVID-19 Vaccines in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(22), pages 1-11, November.
    3. Mateusz Ciski & Krzysztof Rząsa, 2023. "Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression in the Investigation of Local COVID-19 Anomalies Based on Population Age Structure in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Horn, Samantha & Litovsky, Yana & Loewenstein, George, 2024. "Using curiosity to counter health information avoidance," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    5. Jarosław Drobnik & Robert Susło & Piotr Pobrotyn & Ewa Fabich & Violetta Magiera & Dorota Diakowska & Izabella Uchmanowicz, 2021. "COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers in the University Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-13, May.
    6. Cory Anderson & Shuai Zhou & Guangqing Chi, 2023. "Population-Wide Vaccination Hesitancy among the Amish: A County-Level Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Adoption and Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-24, August.
    7. Vieri Lastrucci & Chiara Lorini & Lorenzo Stacchini & Enrica Stancanelli & Andrea Guida & Alessio Radi & Chiara Morittu & Salvatore Zimmitti & Giorgia Alderotti & Marco Del Riccio & Angela Bechini & S, 2022. "Determinants of Actual COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in a Cohort of Essential Workers: An Area-Based Longitudinal Study in the Province of Prato, Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    8. Sylwia Kałucka & Ewa Kusideł & Izabela Grzegorczyk-Karolak, 2022. "A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study on the Risk of Getting Sick with COVID-19, the Course of the Disease, and the Impact of the National Vaccination Program against SARS-CoV-2 on Vaccination among H," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-17, June.
    9. Virginie-Eve Lvovschi & Florence Carrouel & Benjamin du Sartz de Vigneulles & Michel Lamure & Geneviève Motyka & Laurie Fraticelli & Claude Dussart, 2022. "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Medication, Antibiotics, and Vaccination among Public Service Population: National Survey Conducted in France," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-20, October.
    10. McKinley, Christopher J. & Limbu, Yam, 2024. "Promoter or barrier? Assessing how social media predicts Covid-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy: A systematic review of primary series and booster vaccine investigations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    11. John R. Kues & Jacqueline M. Knapke & Shereen Elshaer & Angela M. Mendell & Laura Hildreth & Stephanie M. Schuckman & Julie Wijesooriya & Melinda Butsch Kovacic, 2022. "COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: A Critical Time Period Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-8, July.
    12. Facciani, Matthew & Lazić, Aleksandra & Viggiano, Gracemarie & McKay, Tara, 2023. "Political network composition predicts vaccination attitudes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    13. Guthmuller, Sophie & Carrieri, Vincenzo & Wübker, Ansgar, 2023. "Effects of organized screening programs on breast cancer screening, incidence, and mortality in Europe," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    14. Ali Unlu & Sophie Truong & Nitin Sawhney & Jonas Sivelä & Tuukka Tammi, 2024. "Long-term assessment of social amplification of risk during COVID-19: challenges to public health agencies amid misinformation and vaccine stance," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 809-836, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9509-:d:878769. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.