Use of Digital Health Technology Among Older Adults With Cancer in the United States: Findings From a National Longitudinal Cohort Study (2015-2021)

Abstract

Background: Despite the benefits of digital health technology use, older adults with cancer (ie, aged 65 years) have reported challenges to technology adoption. However, there has been a lack of a good understanding of their digital health technology use patterns and the associated influential factors in the past few years.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the trends in and factors associated with digital health technology use among older adults with cancer.

Methods: The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data set is a national longitudinal cohort study with annual survey waves of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older. Participants were community-dwelling older adults who self-reported previous or current cancer diagnoses in each round. The study sample size of each round ranged from 1996 (2015) to 1131 (2021). Digital health technology use was defined as using the internet or online in the last month to order or refill prescriptions, contact medical providers, handle Medicare or other insurance matters, or get information about their health conditions. The association of sociodemographics, clinical factors (self-rated health, chronic conditions, difficulties in activities of daily living, dementia, anxiety, and depression), and physical function (Short Physical Performance Battery and grip strength) with digital health technology use was examined using design-based logistic regression. All statistical analyses accounted for the complex sample design.

Results: The prevalence of any digital health technology use increased from 36% in 2015 to 45% in 2019. In 2020-2021, which was amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it ranged from 51% to 52%. In terms of each digital health technology use behavior, in 2015, overall, 28% of older cancer survivors used digital health technology to obtain health information, followed by contacting clinicians (19%), filling prescriptions (14%), and handling insurance (11%). Greater use of digital health technology was associated with younger age, being White, having a college or higher education, having a higher income, having more comorbidities, nondementia, and having a higher gait speed.

Conclusions: Digital health technology use in older adults with cancer has gradually increased, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, socioeconomic and racial disparities have remained in older cancer survivors. Additionally, older adults with cancer may have some unique features associated with digital health technology use; for example, their use of digital health may be increased by their comorbidities (ie, health care needs) and reduced by their frailty.

Keywords: cancer; cancer survivor; digital health; digital health technology; older adults; older cancer survivors; survivorship; technology.