Senior Citizens Reduce Depression with Internet Use,
Can Save on Nation's Health Care Bill
Getting more seniors Online could trim billions from
US health costs, says Phoenix Center
Oct.
15, 2009 If you are reading this story on a computer, chances are you
are reducing your chances of depression. Spending time online reduces
depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports
in a new Policy Paper released today. In addition to the quality of life
benefits, reducing the cases of depression through widespread Internet
use among older Americans could trim the nation's health care bill.
"Maintaining relationships with friends and family
at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is
challenging for the elderly," says Phoenix Center Visiting Scholar and
study co-author Dr. Sherry G. Ford, an Associate Professor of
Communications Studies at University of Montevallo in Alabama.
"Increased Internet access and use by senior
citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when
face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult."
The implications of the findings are significant
because depression affects millions Americans age 55 or older and costs
the United States about $100 million annually in direct medical costs,
suicide and mortality, and workplace costs.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates
that only about 42 percent of Americans aged 65 or more use the
Internet, far below the adoption rate of other age groups. Given the
relatively low adoption rates by seniors, the study concludes that the
opportunity for better health outcomes from expanded Internet adoption
is substantial.
Further, with billions spent annually on
depression-related health care costs, the potential economic savings
also are impressive.
"Efforts to expand broadband use in the U.S. must
eventually tackle the problem of low adoption in the elderly
population," says study Phoenix Center Chief Economist and study
co-author Dr. George S. Ford. "The positive mental health consequences
of Internet demonstrate, in part, the value of demand stimulus programs
aimed at older Americans."
The Policy Paper, Internet Use and Depression Among
the Elderly, examines survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55
years or older. (Editors Note: people are generally considered to
become senior citizens when they reach age 65. The authors of this
study say age 55 is the common age cut off for studies of the
elderly.)
The data was provided by the Health and Retirement
Study of the University of Michigan and screened to exclude respondents
who were still working and also those living in nursing homes in order
to limit possible variations that might skew the findings.
These limitations reduced the size of the sample
from the initial 22,000 to 7,000, but that is still far larger than all
previous efforts to consider the effect of Internet use on psychological
well-being of the elderly population. Unlike many existing studies on
the benefits of broadband, the statistical methodologies used in the
analysis aim to determine causal effects and not simply measure
correlations.
Phoenix
Center President Lawrence W. Spiwak says, "This is the most advanced
statistical analysis on the social impacts of broadband to date, and the
most believable. If policymakers want better data analysis, they now
have it. The study raises the bar for credible statistical analysis when
formulating broadband policy."
The Phoenix Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization that studies broad public-policy issues related to
governance, social and economic conditions, with a particular emphasis
on the law and economics of telecommunications and high-tech industries.
Oct.
15, 2009 If you are reading this story on a computer, chances are you
are reducing your chances of depression. Spending time online reduces
depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports
in a new Policy Paper released today. In addition to the quality of life
benefits, reducing the cases of depression through widespread Internet
use among older Americans could trim the nation's health care bill.
Phoenix
Center President Lawrence W. Spiwak says, "This is the most advanced
statistical analysis on the social impacts of broadband to date, and the
most believable. If policymakers want better data analysis, they now
have it. The study raises the bar for credible statistical analysis when
formulating broadband policy."