Understanding and decision-making of older people in face of the information about Covid-19: a case study in southern Brazil

Abstract Information about the Covid-19 pandemic has become the focus of attention in the population's health. In this sense, older people, in addition to being classified as a risk group, are vulnerable to the impacts of the quantity and quality of information received, as they need to go through a digital literacy process. Objective: to understand how active older people use information about Covid-19. Methodologically, a Case Study of a unique type of qualitative methodological theoretical approach was carried out, based on Thomas Wilson's theory of Information Behavior. Semi-structured interviews were carried out, seeking to reach theoretical saturation of the data. Thus, 31 elderly people were interviewed, obtaining an average age of 69 years, mostly with high education. As a result, it was observed that the information was used to assimilate the phenomenon experienced, in the search for understanding how to act and make decisions about health care. It is considered that the case presented elderly people who started to feel more able to select the news during the pandemic period. The findings can contribute to the construction of instructional materials in relation to health information, aiming to make appropriate decisions.