COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, SOCIAL COHESION, AND HEALTH INFORMATION-SEEKING AND SHARING AMONG U.S. OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

Older adults increasingly rely on health information for decisions about disease prevention, treatment, and self-management, yet the social factors shaping these behaviors remain insufficiently understood. While social capital and trust in health information sources have each been linked to health communication, few studies have examined their combined influence on multiple health information behaviors or tested trust as a mediating mechanism. Guided by social capital theory, this quantitative cross-sectional study examined relationships between structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital, trust in health information sources, and health information behaviors among 401 U.S. adults aged 50 and older recruited through an online survey panel. Validated measures assessed community participation, bonding and bridging social capital, trust in health information sources, intentions to seek and share health information, and breadth of source use. Data were analyzed using SPSS via multiple linear regression and PROCESS mediation analyses with bootstrapping, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Trust in health information sources emerged as the most consistent predictor, showing significant positive associations with seeking intentions, sharing with family and friends/neighbors, and breadth of source use. Community participation was positively associated with seeking intentions and breadth of source use, while bridging social capital was positively associated with sharing with family and breadth of source use. Bonding social capital showed no significant associations with any outcomes. Trust significantly mediated relationships between all three social capital dimensions and health information behaviors. These findings suggest interventions should prioritize strengthening trust in credible sources while promoting community participation and diverse social connections to improve health information engagement among older adults.