Older adults' technology use and its association with health and depressive symptoms: Findings from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study.
Background
Information and communication technology (ICT) provides older adults with access to information and resources that benefit their health.


Purpose
To explore ICT use among older adults and examine the influence of information technology (IT), communication technology (CT), or ICT use on older adults' self-rated health status and depressive symptoms.


Method
A sample of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older in the United States (N = 4,976) from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study.


Findings
Older adults who embraced ICT and used this technology for a variety of purposes were more likely to report better health status, and were less likely to experience major depressive symptoms than nonusers.


Discussion
In accordance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, nursing professional can play an important role by responding to older adults' diverse technology preferences and effectively incorporating them into nursing practice.
['Kim|Jeehoon|J|', 'Lee|Hee Yun|HY|', 'Won|Cho Rong|CR|', 'Barr|Tina|T|', 'Merighi|Joseph R|JR|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000375:Aging D002908:Chronic Disease D003071:Cognition D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D003863:Depression D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation D005260:Female D006801:Humans D057187:Independent Living D008297:Male D008490:Medical Informatics D006278:Medicare D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D014481:United States D014584:User-Computer Interface
Older adults Depressive symptoms Communication technology Information technology Self-rated health status