Improving Health Communication for Older Adults: Insights from a Focus-Group Study in Austria

Background

Science communication (SC) often fails to reach adults aged 60+, not because of low interest, but due to barriers in access and trust. This study explores how older adults encounter and evaluate scientific - especially health-related - information, and which channels they consider useful and credible.

Methods

We conducted three focus groups in Austria with people aged 60 + (n = 11). Discussions about science in general and health topics specifically were analysed using Mayring’s structured content analysis.

Results

Findings cluster along three interconnected dimensions: personal relevance, institutional trust, and information access. On relevance, participants reported engaging with health topics only when personally affected. Health topics were rarely discussed openly in social circles as many view them as private matters and to avoid burdening others. However, many participants rely on family members for recommendations regarding scientific or health related content. Regarding trust, participants preferred experts with verifiable credentials (e.g., publications) and expressed skepticism towards dietary advice and commercial contexts (such as advertorials in health magazines or sales elements in lecture series), COVID-19 and vaccines in general, although deliberately excluded from the interview guide, surfaced unsolicited in all groups, showing polarized views and underscoring the centrality of trust. In terms of access, media use was heterogeneous: while some regularly used Google, Wikipedia, and podcasts, others relied on books, brochures and in-person events.

Conclusions

Effective SC for this population requires content that connects to lived experience, comes from credibly identified experts, and is delivered through non-commercial channels, including formats that extend beyond digital media such as print materials and in-person events. Family networks represent an underutilized but promising intermediary channel for reaching older adults.

Key messages

• Older adults engage with scientific and health-related information when the content links to lived experience and credible, non-commercial sources.

• Family members function as trusted intermediaries for scientific content. Leveraging these networks alongside print and in-person formats can enable effective science communication for older adults.