Page 127 - IJPS-10-4

International Journal of
Population Studies Gender disparities in pandemic telehealth use

predictors, explained the variance of the logit of telehealth that owning a cell phone or computer was not significantly
use (χ [18] = 93.57; p < 0.001). associated with increased odds of telehealth use. This
2
could be explained by the fact that the smaller screens
4. Discussion of cell phones may be less convenient for older adults,
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally reshaped particularly those with diminished vision or hearing (Choi
the health-care paradigm, with telehealth emerging as a et al., 2022). Meanwhile, older adults may have lower
cornerstone of this transformation. Our study, focusing on digital literacy or comfort levels with using computers
older adults in the US, provides insights into the evolving for health services (Mao et al., 2022). Conversely, tablets,
patterns of telehealth utilization and its associated factors with their user-friendly interfaces, resonated more with
during this global health crisis. The results highlight telehealth adoption, especially among the female group.
a marked overall increase in telehealth use during the This aligns with Neil-Sztramko et al.’s (2020) assertion
pandemic, with nearly a quarter of the participants, that tablet familiarity can amplify technological adoption
irrespective of gender, leveraging these services. This shift among older adults. With the aim of increasing telehealth
indicates that while older adults might have been slower use, more effort can be put into programs to assist older
in embracing digital health solutions previously, exigent populations with tablet use.
circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic can It is noteworthy that the digital access divide, especially
significantly catalyze technology adoption. in terms of cell phone and computer ownership, persists
Our findings revealed different usage patterns of between genders. A significantly higher proportion of
telehealth between genders. Before COVID-19, female older males owned a working cell phone and a computer than
adults were generally less likely to use telehealth compared females. As telehealth increasingly becomes a critical
to males; however, their use increased significantly during component of health-care delivery, a significant portion of
the pandemic. This increase could be attributed to the fact older women risk being marginalized due to their limited
that female older adults reported worse self-rated health, access to digital tools. Consequently, there is a pressing
and more of them experienced multiple health conditions need for well-designed interventions aimed at empowering
than their male counterparts, which led to a greater older women to adopt and effectively utilize digital health
necessity for frequent use of telehealth services to manage solutions. These initiatives are crucial not only for ensuring
their more complex health needs. Our mediated analysis equitable access to health care but also for leveraging the
further provides evidence that females, who were more full potential of telehealth to improve health outcomes.
likely to experience multimorbidity, were consequently The limitations of the current study should also be
more likely to use telehealth services during the pandemic. discussed. First, regardless of the longitudinal nature
In our study, we underscore the role of health status of the NHATS, the COVID-19 supplement data was
and technology use factors in affecting telehealth uptake collected on a cross-sectional basis that only allowed for
within each gender. For males, those with multiple health limited information about telehealth adoption during
conditions were more likely to use telehealth during the the pandemic, which restricted the ability to track its
pandemic. This finding aligns with the fundamental longitudinal evolution or post-pandemic sustainability.
premise of such a digital method to provide convenient and Moreover, potential underreporting of telehealth usage, due
safe medical consultations, especially for those with chronic to unfamiliarity with the delivery method at the beginning
ailments. For females, the self-reported health score played of the pandemic period, could lead to an underestimation
a pivotal role, suggesting those who perceive themselves as of its actual prevalence among older adults. The reliance
less healthy are more inclined to use telehealth, potentially on self-reported measures introduces potential recall bias,
reflecting the need and the proactive approach toward especially concerning telehealth usage and technological
health management. Furthermore, for both groups, those proficiency, which might not present actual engagement or
who had access to a tablet or had recently acquired new skill levels. Future research should address these constraints
technological skills during the pandemic were more likely to provide a more comprehensive understanding of
to adopt telehealth services. A prior study has noted that telehealth dynamics in the aging population.
many health-care providers use new technology systems,
such as Zoom and Skype, to deliver services (Bokolo, 2021), 5. Conclusions
thus motivating older adults to learn new technologies to The accelerated adoption of telehealth during the pandemic
access these medical services. has shown its potential for long-term integration into
Interestingly, despite the widespread ownership of cell post-pandemic health-care systems. Our study noted a
phones among the general population, our study found significant increase in telehealth utilization, revealing

Volume 10 Issue 4 (2024) 121 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1817