Valla, Luca Guido; Rossi, Michele; Gaia, Alessandra; Guaita, Antonio; Rolandi, Elena; (2024) The Impact of Pre-pandemic ICT Use on COVID-19 Vaccination and Recovery Among Oldest-Old in Abbiategrasso. In: Gao, Qin and Zhou, Jia, (eds.) Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population: HCII 2024. (pp. pp. 293-305). Springer Nature: Cham, Switzerland.

Text The impact of pre-pandemic ICT use on COVID-19 vaccination and recovery among oldest-old in Abbiategrasso_11.01.2024.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 2 June 2025. Download (179kB)

Abstract

The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in old age has been increasing over time. This trend might have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted older people to start using digital tools to stay connected with their loved ones and tackle isolation. Similarly, ICT use might have positive effects on vaccination rates and recovery from COVID-19 due to, respectively, access to information on vaccines and e-health services that may accelerate the recovery process. However, while it seems reasonable to assume that the use of ICT may improve access to information regarding the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and ways to avoid SARS‑CoV‑2 contagion or access to medical support for a faster recovery, to the best of our knowledge, little is known about the effects of ICT use on the SARS‑CoV‑2 infection figures, vaccination and recovery rates. To explore these dimensions, we use data from a cohort study of older people aged 82–87 years, residing in Abbiategrasso, a municipality in northern Italy. The data used in this study were collected between 2018 and 2022. While ICT use seems not predictive of fewer infections and higher recovery rates, we found that computer use positively predicted the number of vaccine doses that respondents agreed to undertake. However, Internet use predicted late vaccination. In short, it seems that using the Internet in old age predicts a slowness in vaccinating against COVID-19. The latter result enriches the current knowledge on the side effects of Internet access, which have not been thoroughly assessed in older adults. Moreover, this result stimulates discussion on the possible role of online misinformation and fake news surrounding vaccination campaigns.

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