Impact of digital engagement on the quality of life of participants at a Third-age University

Abstract

Purpose Considering the demographic transition, the impact in all aspects of society and inequities among the ageing population, it is essential to promote Healthy Ageing, through actions, strategies and policies to encourage disease prevention, health promotion and improvement in the quality of life of ageing individuals (WHO, 2020). Quality of life can be defined as “an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns” (WHO, 1998). Although there are studies in the literature with positive results regarding the use of technologies in quality of life, well-being and independence, these results are still unclear because they do not consider individuals who do not use these technologies and how this non-use affects quality of life (Damant et al, 2017). The objective of this study was to verify the relationship between quality of life and digital engagement of older individuals, participants of a University of the Third Age (U3A). Method This is an observational, cross-sectional, quantitative study. The sample consisted of spontaneous demand from students enrolled in a U3A, older than 50 years. The evaluation was carried out in October 2019 through interviews with participants in which a questionnaire was applied with sociodemographic questions, data on internet use (how many times on average have you used the Internet in the last 3 months?) and the Brazilian Portuguese  WHOQOL-Brief version, with score from 0 to 20 (WHO, 2022). The questionnaire data were counted through frequency, mean and standard deviation; in addition, the relationship between digital engagement and quality of life was verified by logistic regression using the Backward Stepwise method, corrected for the potential confounders age and education, using SPSS software. Results and Discussion A total of 107 individuals participated in the study, with an average age of 67.1 years (± 8.1 years), with 39.2% having higher or technical education and only 10.3% having incomplete elementary education. Most participants (81.3%) were digitally engaged, meaning that they access the internet at least almost every day. The mean total score of the WHOQOL-Bref instrument was 15.8 (± 2.6). According to the regression performed, it was possible to observe that the relationship between digital engagement and quality of life (based on WHOQOL-Bref and its domains) was not statistically significant (see Table 1). However, there was statistical significance between age and digital engagement, that is, with increasing age there is a tendency for digital engagement to decrease (p-value=0,025; B=-0,076). Due to the negative effects of the necessary social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, we suggest a future study on the use of technologies and the quality of life after the period of social distance, used as a strategy to minimize the effects of the pandemic.