Age differences in patterns and confidence of using internet and social media for cancer-care among cancer survivors

Lawson Eng; Jackie Bender; Katrina Hueniken; Shayan Kassirian; Laura Mitchell; Reenika Aggarwal; Chelsea Paulo; Elliot C Smith; Ilana Geist; Karmugi Balaratnam; Alexander Magony; Mindy Liang; Dongyang Yang; Jennifer M Jones; M Catherine Brown; Wei Xu; Samir C Grover; Shabbir M H Alibhai; Geoffrey Liu; Abha A Gupta

doi:10.1016/j.jgo.2020.02.011

Age differences in patterns and confidence of using internet and social media for cancer-care among cancer survivors

J Geriatr Oncol. 2020 Jul;11(6):1011-1019. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.02.011. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

Authors

Lawson Eng¹, Jackie Bender², Katrina Hueniken³, Shayan Kassirian⁴, Laura Mitchell⁵, Reenika Aggarwal⁴, Chelsea Paulo⁴, Elliot C Smith⁴, Ilana Geist⁴, Karmugi Balaratnam⁴, Alexander Magony⁴, Mindy Liang⁴, Dongyang Yang⁶, Jennifer M Jones², M Catherine Brown⁴, Wei Xu⁷, Samir C Grover⁸, Shabbir M H Alibhai⁹, Geoffrey Liu¹⁰, Abha A Gupta¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: lawson.eng@utoronto.ca.
² Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Division of Gastroenterology, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁰ Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: geoffrey.liu@uhn.ca.
¹¹ Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatric Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: abha.gupta@uhn.ca.

PMID: 32169545
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.02.011

Abstract

Objectives: The internet and social media provide information and support to cancer survivors, and adolescent and young adults (AYA, age < 40 years), adults, and older (age 65+ years) cancer survivors may have different needs. We evaluated the impact of age on cancer-related internet and social media use and confidence in evaluating online information for cancer-care decision making.

Materials and methods: Cancer survivors completed a convenience cross-sectional survey evaluating their cancer-related internet and social media use and their confidence in using these resources for decision making. Multivariable regression models evaluated the impact of age on usage patterns and confidence.

Results: Among 371 cancer survivors, 58 were older adults and 138 were AYA; 74% used the internet and 39% social media for cancer care; 48% felt confident in using online information for cancer-care decisions. Compared to adult survivors, there was a non-significant trend for older survivors to be less likely to use the internet for cancer-care information(aOR = 0.49, 95% CI[0.23-1.03], P = .06), while AYA were more likely to use social media for cancer-care (aOR = 1.79[1.08-2.99], P = .03). Although confidence at using online information for cancer-care decision making did not differ between age groups, increasing age had a non-significant trend towards reduced confidence (aOR = 0.99 per year [0.97-1.00], P = .09). Most commonly researched and desired online information were causes/risk factors/symptoms, treatment options, and prognosis/outcomes.

Conclusions: Age may influence the use of internet and social media for cancer-care, and older cancer survivors may be less confident at evaluating online information for cancer-care decision making. Future research should explore other strategies at meeting the informational needs of older cancer survivors.

Keywords: Adolescent and young adults; Cancer survivorship; Geriatric oncology; Internet use; Patient education; Social media.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Aged
Cancer Survivors*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Internet*
Neoplasms* / therapy
Social Media*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survivors
User-Computer Interface