Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that occurs frequently among older adults. With the aging population in China, the number of AD patients there ranks first in the world (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2016). Sharply contrasting with the high prevalence rate, however, is the low treatment rate. Among Chinese older adults, the proportion of AD patients receiving medical treatment is no more than 20% (Caixin, 2018).
A pre-test of the present study has shown that Chinese older adults commonly lack knowledge of AD. Since research in the medical field has focused on the occultness of AD’s early onset and proven the effectiveness of early intervention, promoting a positive attitude among older adults towards information related to this disease is urgently needed. If more older adults could accept health knowledge on AD, more might be aware of symptoms appearing at an early stage and seek treatment.
Based on questionnaires from 105 Chinese senior citizens, this exploratory study focused on the selective exposure behaviour of Chinese older adults towards information related to AD. The results verified the hypothesis that Chinese older adults avoid information about AD. Older adults of different ages, genders, educational backgrounds, family AD experience and technology usage patterns showed different levels of health information avoidance. Furthermore, linear regression analysis found that the psychological factors of social anxiety and technological anxiety during the process of accepting health knowledge, rather than disease anxiety itself, are ultimately the main causes.
Several surprising findings are also discussed based on the current data: 1) Those who were over 70 years old did not show the same strong information avoidance as the younger groups; 2) Older men show a higher degree of health information avoidance than older women; 3) Psychological factors play a more important role in people’s acceptance of health information.
In fact, researchers in Taiwan have recently examined the source of the stigma of AD and also criticised age discrimination and social discrimination within (Lo, 2018). Because their research has not carried out audience analysis, results from this study could correspond to it. Given the special cultural tradition of parental authority in China, and that AD is much more commonly called ‘dementia’ with a derogatory meaning in this context, the findings of this study suggest more attention should be paid to the social and digital exclusion felt by older adults.
The study also proposes a possible basis for disease stigma study in health communication in more cultural backgrounds around the world. Given stigma is the product of inequality in social, cultural, economic and political power (Link & Phelan, 2001), people may have to admit that the majority of society have allowed such discourses that produce inequality. Further, based on the surprising findings about technological anxiety, it is also certainly of great significance to consider how ICTs can help older adults actively accept health information today.