“I don’t trust it, so I don’t read it”: How do older Australians navigate and search for information about their health and driving?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Example advertisements presented to participants. Reproduced with the permission of Transport for NSW.

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study participants.

Variable	N (%)
Age
Mean, years	74.9
Range, years	67–84
Gender
Female	10 (63%)
Male	6 (37%)
Location*
Major city	9 (56%)
Inner regional	6 (38%)
Outer regional	1 (6%)
Living arrangement
With spouse/partner in own home	13 (81%)
Alone in own home	3 (19%)
Highest qualification
Certificate	1 (6%)
Diploma	3 (19%)
Undergraduate degree	4 (25%)
Master postgraduate degree	6 (38%)
PhD	2 (12%)
Employment status
Retired	15 (94%)
Employed casually	1 (6%)

*ARIA + categorization

Table 2. Key tenets for guiding effective marketing messages for older drivers.

Theme	Sub-theme
Succinct, clear and appealing message	Purpose clear Use of simple, plain, non-technical language Large font with limited text Contrasting text and background Call to action
Relevant and positive messaging	Images realistic and relatable to older people Real people, not models The right age Promotion of personal relevance Positively message framing
Trustworthy and reputable sources	Health professionals, government, universities
Traditional marketing channels	Mass media Email General Practitioners
Digital resources embraced by older drivers	Internet searches Cautious about social media Digital literacy “Hard” resources still have place

Figure 2. Model to guide effective marketing messages for older drivers based on Andreasen’s social marketing framework.