Older adults seeking healthcare information on the Internet

Due to an aging population and increases in healthcare costs, particular attention needs to be focused on developing Internet sites that provide older adults with credible and accurate healthcare information. Present research findings suggest that motivation is only one factor that influences whether or not older adults utilize the World Wide Web to search for health information. This present research showed that even though the Internet may be growing in popularity, it is still not the primary medium older adults use to find health information. Results also indicate that differences may exist between sex and cohorts in terms of who seeks health information over the Internet and the reasons motivating them to seek this information. Overall, despite these differences, it is clear that future generations will need to focus on developing senior friendly'' Web sites to empower adults to age successfully.