Page 153 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2021. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo / Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
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the ICT use for health purposes in Slovenia linked to better tehnološke in ostale ikt rešitve | technological an ict solutions
health?
Andrej Kirbiš
University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia
Introduction and purpose. In recent years, the use of ICT for health purposes has
become increasingly common and popular among the residents of developed
societies, including the elderly. The development of ICT in health and health-
care can contribute to disease prevention and control for those who need
health information and services the most – the elderly and those with poor
health. For this reason, it is vital to examine whether the search for informa-
tion using ICT technology is associated with better health.
Content presentation. In our study, we were interested in: 1) the frequency of
searching for information with ICT; 2) the link between ICT seeking health in-
formation and health status; 3) the moderating role of age for the link between
the frequency of searching for health information and the health status of the
individual, and 4) whether the search for health information is related to the
health status after controlling the sociodemographic determinants of ICT use.
We used a representative national sample of the adult population of Slovenia
from 2018 (N = 1047). We performed descriptive and multivariate analysis.
Conclusions. We found that in Slovenia, 1) the majority of the population uses
ICT to obtain health information; 2) those with poorer health most often use
ICT for health purposes; 3) age impacts the link between information seeking
and health status; and 4) when controlled for sociodemographic determinants
in the multivariate model, health status proved not to be statistically significant-
ly associated with ICT use for health purposes. In our paper, we argue that ICT
can significantly improve the Slovenian population’s health and access to health
services. At the same time, we also emphasize that better health can also ena-
ble easier and more efficient access, search and use of ICT health information.
Further research is needed to examine whether there is a causal effect of ICT
search and use of health information on health outcomes. It is also crucial that
future studies examine whether the health effects are mainly for specific di-
mensions of health or whether they improve overall health status. The paper
concludes with a discussion on the importance of ICT in health services and its
importance for positive population health outcomes, especially for vulnerable
groups. We also provide suggestions for achieving a more well-informed pop-
ulation concerning the opportunities offered by ICT in the field of health pro-
motion and disease prevention.
Keywords: health inequalities, eHealth, ICT use for health purposes,
the elderly
151
health?
Andrej Kirbiš
University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia
Introduction and purpose. In recent years, the use of ICT for health purposes has
become increasingly common and popular among the residents of developed
societies, including the elderly. The development of ICT in health and health-
care can contribute to disease prevention and control for those who need
health information and services the most – the elderly and those with poor
health. For this reason, it is vital to examine whether the search for informa-
tion using ICT technology is associated with better health.
Content presentation. In our study, we were interested in: 1) the frequency of
searching for information with ICT; 2) the link between ICT seeking health in-
formation and health status; 3) the moderating role of age for the link between
the frequency of searching for health information and the health status of the
individual, and 4) whether the search for health information is related to the
health status after controlling the sociodemographic determinants of ICT use.
We used a representative national sample of the adult population of Slovenia
from 2018 (N = 1047). We performed descriptive and multivariate analysis.
Conclusions. We found that in Slovenia, 1) the majority of the population uses
ICT to obtain health information; 2) those with poorer health most often use
ICT for health purposes; 3) age impacts the link between information seeking
and health status; and 4) when controlled for sociodemographic determinants
in the multivariate model, health status proved not to be statistically significant-
ly associated with ICT use for health purposes. In our paper, we argue that ICT
can significantly improve the Slovenian population’s health and access to health
services. At the same time, we also emphasize that better health can also ena-
ble easier and more efficient access, search and use of ICT health information.
Further research is needed to examine whether there is a causal effect of ICT
search and use of health information on health outcomes. It is also crucial that
future studies examine whether the health effects are mainly for specific di-
mensions of health or whether they improve overall health status. The paper
concludes with a discussion on the importance of ICT in health services and its
importance for positive population health outcomes, especially for vulnerable
groups. We also provide suggestions for achieving a more well-informed pop-
ulation concerning the opportunities offered by ICT in the field of health pro-
motion and disease prevention.
Keywords: health inequalities, eHealth, ICT use for health purposes,
the elderly
151
