Table 3.
Associations between internet use, social engagement and health literacy decline, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 2004–2011 (n=4368)
| Health literacy decline | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activities | Yes (n=814; 19%) | No (n=3554; 81%) | Model 1* | 95% CI | Model 2† | 95% CI | Model 3‡ | 95% CI |
| Internet use | ||||||||
| Never | 435 (25%) | 1320 (75%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Intermittent | 218 (18%) | 1016 (82%) | 0.85 | (0.69 to 1.03) | 0.86 | (0.70 to 1.05) | 0.92 | (0.75 to 1.13) |
| Consistent | 161 (12%) | 1218 (88%) | 0.60 | (0.49 to 0.76) | 0.68 | (0.54 to 0.87) | 0.77 | (0.60 to 0.99) |
| Civic activities | ||||||||
| None | 263 (23%) | 876 (77%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Intermittent | 317 (19%) | 1373 (81%) | 0.83 | (0.69 to 1.01) | 0.87 | (0.71 to 1.05) | 0.85 | (0.70 to 1.04) |
| Consistent | 234 (15%) | 1305 (85%) | 0.72 | (0.58 to 0.89) | 0.82 | (0.65 to 1.02) | 0.84 | (0.67 to 1.06) |
| Leisure activities | ||||||||
| None | 246 (21%) | 905 (79%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Intermittent | 360 (20%) | 1484 (80%) | 1.05 | (0.87 to 1.27) | 1.14 | (0.94 to 1.39) | 1.18 | (0.97 to 1.44) |
| Consistent | 208 (15%) | 1165 (85%) | 0.85 | (0.68 to 1.06) | 1.05 | (0.83 to 1.33) | 1.12 | (0.88 to 1.42) |
| Cultural activities | ||||||||
| None | 227 (26%) | 637 (74%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Intermittent | 368 (21%) | 1421 (79%) | 0.88 | (0.72 to 1.07) | 0.90 | (0.73 to 1.10) | 0.92 | (0.75 to 1.14) |
| Consistent | 219 (13%) | 1496 (87%) | 0.60 | (0.47 to 0.75) | 0.67 | (0.53 to 0.87) | 0.73 | (0.56 to 0.93) |
*Adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, educational attainment, net non-pension wealth, having a limiting long-standing illness, experiencing an IADL limitation.
†Model 1+internet use and engagement in each of the civic, leisure and cultural activities.
‡Model 2+baseline executive function, baseline memory, executive function decline and memory decline.
IADL, instrumental activity of daily living.