Sources and level of information about health issues and preventive services among young-old persons in Switzerland

Summary

Objectives:

to describe the sources of health information in young-old persons, and how they feel informed about preventive services.

Methods:

1,567 randomly selected persons aged 65–69 years were asked where they did get information about health, and whether they felt sufficiently informed about recommended preventive services.

Results:

Most participants (over 90 %) cited their physician as a source of health information, while only 4 % cited the Internet. Level of information was low for several preventive services, including colon cancer screening (55 % felt sufficiently informed) and immunization against pneumonia (27 % sufficiently informed).

Conclusions:

Promotion of preventive services in older populations should take into account the preponderant role of physicians as a source of information and advice.