Multidimensional frailty as a predictor of older adults’ internet use: moving beyond the use/non-use dichotomy

Aim: Moving beyond the traditional use/non-use dichotomy, this study examines how variations in older adults’ internet use relate to their multidimensional frailty status. Methods: Data were drawn from the Belgian Ageing Studies (BAS), a large-scale cross-sectional survey conducted in Flanders (Belgium) and included 2,312 individuals aged 60 and older. Internet use was categorized into non-users, basic users, selective users and allround users. Multidimensional frailty was assessed using the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument (CFAI), covering physical, psychological, social and environmental domains. Multinomial logistic regression and Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) were conducted. Results: Regression analysis revealed that older adults with mild or high levels of physical frailty, as well as those with high levels of environmental frailty, were more likely to not use the internet. Furthermore, individuals with high physical frailty and high social frailty were more likely to be basic internet users. Social frailty was also linked to allround internet use, with those in the mild and high frailty categories being less likely to be allround users. However, CHAID analysis highlighted that sociodemographic factors—particularly low education and advanced age—are more strongly associated with low internet usage than frailty itself. Conclusions: Multidimensional frailty is associated with internet use, with mild and high frailty groups being less internet savvy.