Digital Literacy and Associated Factors in Older Adults Living in Urban South Korea: A Qualitative Study.

This study aimed to explore digital literacy among community-dwelling older adults in urban South Korea. A semistructured interview guide was developed using the Digital Competence ( 2.0 framework, which emphasizes the competencies for full digital participation in five categories: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, content creation, safety, and problem-solving. The data were analyzed using combined inductive and deductive content analysis. Inductive analysis identified three main categories: perceived ability to use digital technology, responses to digital technology, and contextual factors. In the results of deductive analysis, participants reported varying abilities in using digital technologies for information and data literacy, communication or collaboration, and problem-solving. However, their abilities were limited in handling the safety or security of digital technology and lacked in creating digital content. Responses to digital technology contain subcategories of perception (positive or negative) and behavior (trying or avoidance). Regarding contextual factors, aging-related physical and cognitive changes were identified as barriers to digital literacy. The influence of families or peers was viewed as both a facilitator and a barrier. Our participants recognized the importance of using digital devices to keep up with the trend of digitalization, but their digital literacy was mostly limited to relatively simple levels.

Health behaviors influencing depressive symptoms in older Koreans living alone: secondary data analysis of the 2014 Korean longitudinal study of aging.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric depression is a societal problem, specifically in those living alone in Korea. This study aims are to investigate (1) how sociodemographic factors, health status, and health behaviors are differently associated with depressive symptoms in older Koreans living alone compared to those living with others and (2) how living arrangements attenuated or strengthened the associations between four types of health behaviors and depressive symptoms. METHODS: This secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the 2014 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. A structured survey assessing sociodemographic factors, health status, and health behaviors was conducted with people aged 65 or older who lived alone (n = 1359) and living with others (n = 2864). A multiple linear regression with interaction terms was conducted between mean-centered health behaviors and the status of living alone. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics 23.0, and the two-tailed level of significance was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Those living alone reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than those living with others (Mdiff = 2.129, SE = 0.005, p <  0.001). The variance of depressive symptoms explained by 13 variables was 18.1% for those living alone compared to 23.7% for those living with others. Compared to health behaviors, sociodemographic factors and health status more explained depressive symptoms, specifically with psychiatric disorders, pain, and impaired functionality as risk factors. Smoking, alcohol abstinence, physical inactivity, and social inactivity were associated with more depressive symptoms. Living arrangements moderated the association between depressive symptoms and each health behavior, except for physical inactivity (all p values < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Older Koreans living alone were exposed to different risk factors for depressive symptoms compared to those living with others. Non-modifiable sociodemographic and health status factors were highly associated with depressive symptoms relative to health behaviors; thus, it is important to conduct early assessment and classification of vulnerable subgroups regarding geriatric depression. Specific assessment instruments should be prepared in practice according to living arrangements among older Koreans. Targeted interventions are essential to addressing living arrangements and modifying health behaviors to reduce smoking, alcohol consumption, and social inactivity, specifically in those living alone.