[Participation in research: interest and opinions on participatory research among participants of a senior university]. / Partizipativ mitforschen: Interesse und Meinungen zur partizipativen Forschung unter Teilnehmenden einer Senioren-Universität.

BACKGROUND: In gerontological research, older people are often used as test subjects. Participatory research means the active and equal involvement of those affected by the research question, i.e., the subjects and the academic researchers. But what is the interest in participatory research among older people who participate in an educational institution of the third age? In order to answer this question, participants of a senior university were interviewed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The survey was conducted as a standardized postal survey combined with an optional online survey of participants from the Senior University of Zurich (Switzerland). The sample consisted of 811 persons aged between 56 and 96 years. RESULTS: Of the respondents 24% had already participated in a participatory research project and of these, older people and people with a high level of education were more likely to be involved, as were people who are more likely to be extraverted and who regularly volunteer. Of all respondents, 62% were interested in participatory research projects. In a multivariate perspective, interest depended on age, education, volunteering and experience with such research projects. CONCLUSION: The interest in participatory participation among Senior University members was high. This interest was more pronounced among people who already had experience with such projects. Further studies should evaluate the interest in research participation on the basis of implemented participatory projects and define optimal framework conditions.

Seniors Online: Attitudes Toward the Internet and Coping With Everyday Life.

Many older people do not use the Internet. We investigated the attitudes of older people who do (onliners) or do not (offliners) use the Internet, to assess their views of the Internet and whether they see the Internet as a resource for coping with everyday life situations. Participants aged ≥65 years ( N = 1,037), living in Switzerland, were interviewed in a telephone survey. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted. The data show (a) many of the respondents viewed the Internet as useful, in general, and for coping with everyday life situations; (b) onliners saw more positive aspects of the Internet than did offliners; and

The use of mobile devices for physical activity tracking in older adults' everyday life.

OBJECTIVE: The tracking of one's own physical activity with mobile devices is a way of monitoring and motivating oneself to remain healthy. Older adults' general use of mobile devices for physical activity tracking has not yet been examined systematically. The study aimed to describe the use of physical activity trackers, smartwatches and smartphones, or tablets for tracking physical activity and to examine the reasons for the use of these technologies. METHODS: Participants aged ≥50 years (N = 1013) living in Switzerland were interviewed in a telephone survey. To address the research questions, we calculated descriptive frequency distributions, tested for differences between groups, and performed logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Descriptive and multivariate analyses showed that (a) 20.5% of participants used mobile devices for physical activity tracking; (b) men, younger individuals, those with a strong interest in new technology, and those who frequently exercised had a higher likelihood of using mobile devices for physical activity tracking; and (c) participants more often agreed with reasons for use relating to tracking physical activity and motivating oneself to remain healthy than they did with reasons relating to social factors. CONCLUSIONS: The study presented representative data about the actual use of mobile tracking technology in persons over 50 years of age. Today, mainly active and younger elderly (mostly men) with a high interest in technology are using tracking technologies. Results indicate a need for further studies on motivational and usability aspects regarding the use of mobile health tracking devices by older adults.

[Old and offline? : Findings on the use of the Internet by people aged 65 years and older in Switzerland]. / Alt und offline? : Befunde zur Nutzung des Internets durch Menschen ab 65 Jahren in der Schweiz.

BACKGROUND: The supply of information and communication is becoming continuously more focused on the Internet. While the age groups up to 64 years have shown a vast increase in the use of the Internet since 1997, intensive use of the Internet by age groups above 64 years lags behind and this is not only the case in Switzerland. Against this background and an interest in finding out more about Internet (non)use of older people, two representative surveys were conducted in Switzerland, one in 2009 and another one in 2014. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data used were acquired throughout Switzerland via a standardized telephone survey. The random sample (2014) consisted of 1037 people aged between 65 and 100 years old. RESULTS: Although the digital divide between the age groups has lessened over the past years, only 55.7 % of the elderly people interviewed were using the Internet in the autumn of 2014. Internet usage differs greatly between age groups. Resources such as education, income and health positively impact actual use of the Internet. Additionally, recommendations from a person's social environment, as well as an affinity for technology and a personal benefit assessment have a positive impact on Internet usage. In particular, security concerns and difficulties of use were mentioned as predominant reasons for the non-use of the Internet. Some of the people questioned felt excluded from society because they did not use the Internet. CONCLUSION: Internet usage among elderly people depends on individual and social resources, as well as on general attitude towards technology and personal benefit expectations. The exclusion of today's elderly "offliners" should be avoided, even if the digital divide will decrease in the future.