背景與目的：資訊溝通科技的使用成為現代人生活中不可或缺的部分，也影響社會連結與社會參與。目前資訊溝通科技的使用已成為活躍老化的指標之一。本研究目的在於了解社區中老年人網路使用行為以及影響其使用的因素。
方法：本研究採用科技部專題研究計畫 「成功老化介入與評估：跨領域、可擴散與終身學習策略」調查資料，對象為台中地區社區關懷據點之中老年人，問卷採取面對面訪談收集。本研究使用樣本為與網路使用有關資料完整之105人。分析方法包括敘述統計、卡方檢定以及羅吉斯迴歸模式分析。此外，研究者另以質性訪談方式，訪談14位計畫參與者對於使用與不使用網路之原因與障礙。
結果：樣本中有21.9%有使用網路行為。鄉村樣本相較於城市樣本使用網路比例較低(OR=0.25)，年齡較高(75歲以上)網路使用比例也較低(OR=0.19)。質性訪談結果則發現，願意使用網路的主要動機為，增加子女(祖孫)間的聯絡、訓練腦力預防退化，以及對於年輕世代新事物的興趣。而不願意使用網路的主要原因為身體狀況以及心理相關因素，身體狀況如視力、認知功能障礙，心理因素則是對於學習以及理解的困難或使用網路的負面印象。另外對於願意學習的長者，在學習上的主要障礙為個人的身體狀況、操作技巧以及缺乏可以使用的裝置(手機、平板)。
討論：城鄉差距與世代，是影響中老年人網路使用行為的重要因素；健康狀況可能也有影響。網路使用比例上的城鄉差距，可能與社經地位以及教育程度有關，進而影響科技資訊的獲得與接受。隨預期未來世代網路使用行為會增加，針對現今中老年人網路使用環境，建議在介面以及使用的方式上需要更加友善。
Background and Purpose: The use of informational communication technology (ICT) has become an indispensable part of modern life. It affects social connection and social participation. Use of ICT has also become one of the indicators of active aging. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of Internet by middle-aged and older adults and the related factors in the community.
Method: The data of this study was from the project, “Successful aging intervention and evaluation: cross-disciplinary, spreadable, and lifelong learning approach” supported by Ministry of Science and Technology in 2016-2018. The participants were the middle-aged and older adults in the several community care centers in Taichung. The data were collected by face-to-face interview. The data used in this study was the 123 persons whose data were completed related to internet use behaviors. The analysis methods included descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis. The researcher also used in-depth qualitative interview of 14 older adults about the reasons of use or non-use of Internet as well as the barriers in using Internet.
Result: 21.9% of the sample used Internet. The rural older adults had lower possibility to use Internet than the urban older adults (OR=0.25); and those who were older (aged 75 or more) also used less (OR=0.19). By the qualitative interviews, the main motivations to use the Internet included increasing interactions and relationships with children and grandchildren, training their brains to prevent degradation, and tlearning new things from younger generations. The main reasons for reluctance to use the Internet included physical conditions (such as visual health and cognitive impairment) and psychosocial factors (barriers in learning and understanding or negative impressions on the internet). In addition, for the elders who were willing to learn, the major obstacles in learning process were personal physical conditions, operating skills, and lack of available devices (cell phones or tablets).
Discussion: The gap between urban and rural areas and generations is an important factor influencing the internet usage behavior of middle-aged and older people. The health status of the older people may also be related. The urban-rural divide in the Internet may be related with the differences in the economic status and the level of education, and accordingly affects the obtainment and acceptance in technological information. The Internet use is expected to increase for the future cohorts. It is suggested that the interface and the environment of using Internet should be friendly for the current older cohorts.
