由於平均餘命的增加，使老人須面臨因長壽所帶來慢性疾病及身體的功能衰退等健康問題，若能提長者本身對疾病資訊及照護問題的認知與了解程度，將有助於其日常生活的健康維護與自我照顧能力。為能進一步了解老人健康相關資訊的實際需求如何，因此，本研究乃從需求者角度切入，以分析高齡老人為主，樣本來自台灣南部65歲以上的高雄市民，並涵蓋高雄11個行政區，樣本數按各自行政區老年人口比例抽取，在排除不完整問卷及不符合條件之樣本後，總樣本數為498位。本研究資料係以自擬之問卷，以訪員面訪方式收集，資料分析結果顯示，多數老人與家人同住(佔82%)，有略多於半數的老人身體不佳或有某些疾病(佔53.4%)，在疾病資訊方面的需求程度普通(平均值為2.89)；至於自我照顧資訊的需求則以營養的獲取資訊需求最高(平均值為3.3)，其次則是對藥物資訊的需求(平均值為3.2)與就醫資訊的需求(平均值為3.1)。顯示老人健康照護資訊的需求甚殷，政府應加強老人基層醫療保健並強化高齡者社區健康訪視工作，俾能提升高齡者正確的疾病防治與自我照護能力。 The prolonged of life expectancy nade the elders had to face more health problem leaded by the chronic disease and physical function decline. There would be helpfal to the elder's health maintenance and self care ability in daily living if the recognize and awareness of health problem are improvement. This study objective were to explored the tealth related information requirement of elderly, and to search their actually demand for the recognize of disease and self-care. This study subjects were from the metropolitan area for the consideration of health related information accessibility. The health elderly who lives at Kaohsiung city of Southern Taiwan were selected, and the sampling numbers were depends on the elderly population's proportion of the 11 districts. The total nunbers were 498 that exclude the cases of unqualified and incompletely data. Data collected by the questionnaire with face to face interview . Results show the most of eldertly were live with family(82%), there was over half elder`s health not good and had several disease(53.4%). The great majority elder samples were more demand for self care information than the disease related information, and the highest was nutritional obrain information (the mean was 3.3), the next two and three was drug information (the mean was 3.2) and medical care information (the mean was 3. 1). Since the health care mformation was so aspiration for elderly that to enhance the program of primary geriatric medical services and home visit of primary health service of government was strongly recommendation.
