Wechat Uses and Gratifications for Health Information among Chinese Elderly Users

Abstract

The study aims to examine the use of WeChat and the gratifications of the Chinese elderly. Two-hundred Chinese respondents who were current WeChat users and were current subscribing WeChat health information have participated in this survey. The participants were being selected using convenience sampling. The mean, standard deviation, and percentage were being tabulated and analyzed using One-way ANOVA, Multiple Regression, and Spearman Rank’s Correlation with the significance level of .05. and 0.10. The findings as following: 1. Chinese elderly who have different frequency of using WeChat health information and educational background had significant different gratification sought about health information via WeChat, but those with different gender, age, personal income per month and stickiness to WeChat health information did not have significant different gratification sought about health information via WeChat. 2. Chinese elderly who have different age and frequency of using WeChat health information had significant different gratification obtained about health information via WeChat, but those who have different gender, personal income per month educational background and stickiness to WeChat health information had no significant different gratification obtained about health information via WeChat. 3. Gratification sought and gratification obtained for health information via WeChat among Chinese elderly were not positively correlated. 4. Gratification sought for WeChat health information are significant predictors of the relational satisfaction of small group communication in WeChat; however, gratification obtained for WeChat health information was not significant predictor of Chinese elderly’s relational satisfaction of small group communication in WeChat.