Why Older Adults Avoid Health Information: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling Study

Abstract

This study utilizes Two-Stage Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (MASEM) to synthesize findings from 15 empirical studies involving 11,472 older adults, systematically examining the mechanisms underpinning health information avoidance among this demographic. The results indicate that: (1) both perceived hazard characteristics and negative information characteristics significantly and positively predict health information avoidance; (2) affective risk response mediates the relationship between perceived hazard characteristics and health information avoidance; and (3) factors such as older age, lower education attainment, and an Eastern cultural context reinforce the effects of information characteristics on avoidance behavior, while gender exhibits differentiated moderating effects across different pathways. This study elucidates the integrated mechanisms of health information avoidance among older adults and offers evidence-based implications for precise health communication.