Prevalence and predictors of internet use among Ghanaian older adults: evidence from the Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census

Internet use among older adults has several beneficial impacts on their health and general wellbeing. However, there are limited studies on internet use among older adults in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana. Also, studies on internet use among older adults have used surveys rather than census data, which minimises the potential for sampling bias and improves representativeness. Therefore, this study used census data to examine the prevalence and predictors of internet use among Ghanaian older adults. This study utilised the Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census. The data were analysed using Pearson’s chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Overall, 52.9% of older adults used the internet 3 months preceding the census. Older adults mainly use mobile phones to access the internet. The significant predictors of internet use were age, sex, educational status, marital status, religious affiliation, place of residence, sight and hearing impairment, household wealth status, and ecological zone. Internet use among Ghanaian older adults was relatively high. Policymakers should consider these intrapersonal (age, sex, educational status, and sight and hearing impairments), interpersonal (marital status and household wealth), institutional (religious affiliation), and community (place of residence and ecological zone) level factors when developing interventions to promote internet use among older adults.