| Course | HLTH 380 Health Promotion for Aging Populations (HLTH380) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Assignment | Website Evaluation |
| Paper type | Website evaluation with narratives |
| Length | about 713 words, 3 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: completed evaluation forms for 2 websites containing information on aging, each followed by a narrative of at least 1 page on how the site can be useful to an elderly person |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 50 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Public Health |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 3 in Liberty's published HLTH 380 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 380 Week 3
Two Websites an Older Adult Can Trust: Evaluating the National Institute on Aging and the Eldercare Locator
[Student Name]
School of Health Sciences, Liberty University
HLTH 380: Health Promotion for Aging Populations
Website Evaluation
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The two websites evaluated are real public sites; the evaluation form shown is a sample layout and the course provides its own form.
Two Websites an Older Adult Can Trust: Evaluating the National Institute on Aging and the Eldercare Locator
Evaluation Summary
| Criterion | National Institute on Aging health information | Eldercare Locator |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Federal research agency within the National Institutes of Health | Federal Administration for Community Living service |
| Accuracy and evidence | Based on research the agency funds and reviews | Directs users to official local agencies |
| Currency | Pages show review dates | Listings maintained through state and local agencies |
| Objectivity | No advertising or products for sale | No advertising; free public service |
| Ease of finding information | Topics listed by health condition and life area | Simple search by ZIP code or city |
| Readability for older users | Plain language, short sections, some pages in Spanish | Few steps, clear categories of services |
Narrative: National Institute on Aging
The National Institute on Aging (n.d.) offers free health information on topics older adults face, including exercise, healthy eating, sleep, memory, Alzheimer's disease and caregiving. The site is run by a federal research agency, contains no advertising and presents information in plain language with short sections and headings, which suits readers who tire quickly or have vision changes. Many pages also include links to related topics at the end, so a reader can move from one concern to the next without starting over. Consider a 72-year-old woman, recently widowed, who has arthritis in her knees and has stopped walking because it hurts. On this site she could find information on why exercise helps arthritis, examples of gentle activities and advice on talking with her doctor. She could also read about grief and loneliness, which may be affecting her as much as her knees. Robnett and Chop (2015) stress that health promotion in later life supports independence across physical, emotional and social dimensions, and this site addresses all three. One limitation is that it requires internet access and some comfort with a computer or smartphone; a family member or librarian may need to help her get started, or she could request printed materials. The site would also help her prepare for her next doctor's visit, since it suggests questions to ask and explains common tests in terms a patient can understand. If her memory begins to worry her, she could read about the difference between normal forgetfulness and signs that call for an evaluation, which might ease her fears or prompt her to seek help early. For a woman living alone for the first time in decades, having a trustworthy source she can consult at any hour also supports the emotional dimension of health, giving her a sense of control over decisions that once were shared.
Narrative: Eldercare Locator
The Eldercare Locator (Administration for Community Living, n.d.) is a public service that connects older adults and caregivers with local agencies, especially the Area Agencies on Aging that coordinate services such as home-delivered meals, transportation, caregiver support and help with benefits. Its main feature is a simple search by ZIP code or city. Consider an adult daughter who lives three hours away from her 86-year-old father. He no longer drives and has begun skipping meals. Through the site she could find his local Area Agency on Aging and learn about meal delivery and rides to medical appointments. These services could allow him to remain in his home safely, which Robnett and Chop (2015) identify as a goal for most older adults. The site is useful because it does not try to answer every question itself; it points people to the local agency that can. The daughter could also learn about support for herself, since caregiver programs offered through the same agencies include counseling, training and respite care that give family caregivers a break. That matters because caregivers who are exhausted are less able to keep a parent at home. The site's simplicity is a strength for an older user as well: her father, if comfortable with a phone or tablet, could enter his own ZIP code and see a short list of local contacts without reading long pages of text. Because services differ from county to county, a single national site that routes each person to the right local office saves the confusion of searching many separate agency websites. A website does its best work for an older adult when it ends with a phone number to a real person nearby.
Why These Evaluations Matter
Older adults vary widely in their ability to use online health information. Levy et al. (2015) found that only 9.7% of Americans aged 65 and older with low health literacy used the internet for health information, compared with 31.9% of those with adequate health literacy. Tennant et al. (2015) found that younger age, more education and use of more electronic devices were associated with greater eHealth literacy among baby boomers and older adults. Health professionals can help by recommending trustworthy sites like these two and showing older adults how to use them. Libraries, senior centers and churches can extend that help by offering short classes on finding reliable health information online, so that the gap in health literacy does not become a gap in access to care.
References
Administration for Community Living. (n.d.). Eldercare Locator. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://eldercare.acl.gov
Levy, H., Janke, A. T., & Langa, K. M. (2015). Health literacy and the digital divide among older Americans. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 30(3), 284-289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-014-3069-5
National Institute on Aging. (n.d.). Health information. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health
Robnett, R. H., & Chop, W. C. (2015). Gerontology for the health care professional (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Tennant, B., Stellefson, M., Dodd, V., Chaney, B., Chaney, D., Paige, S., & Alber, J. (2015). eHealth literacy and Web 2.0 health information seeking behaviors among baby boomers and older adults. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(3), e70. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3992
What the HLTH 380 Week 3 instructions ask
Module/Week 3 of HLTH 380 centers on the Website Evaluation, in a week which assigns chapters 4 and 5 of Robnett and Chop and two presentations. Students locate two websites containing information relative to aging and complete the course's evaluation form for each. They then write a narrative of at least one page for each site describing how the site can be useful to an elderly person. Because older adults vary widely in vision, comfort with technology and health literacy, a strong evaluation considers not only whether a site's information is trustworthy but whether an older person could actually find, read and use it, and gives a concrete example of someone the site would help.
How this HLTH 380 Week 3 example is built
The sample evaluation chooses two government websites with different purposes: one offering health information on aging and one connecting people with local services. A table summarizes the evaluation of each site on authority, accuracy and evidence, currency, objectivity, ease of finding information and readability for older users. Each site then receives its own narrative, one describing how a recently widowed woman managing arthritis could use the health information site and one describing how an adult daughter could use the services site to arrange meals and transportation for her father. A short concluding section uses research on health literacy and internet use among older adults to explain why helping older people find trustworthy sites matters.
HLTH 380 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
The HLTH 380 website evaluation is generally graded on the selection of two appropriate websites with information relevant to aging, the completeness and accuracy of the evaluation forms, narratives that meet the one-page minimum and explain specifically how each site helps an elderly person and clear, error-free writing with sources cited in APA format. Instructors look for evaluations that apply standard criteria, such as authority, accuracy, currency and objectivity, rather than general impressions. Narratives that describe a realistic older person and show how that person would use the site demonstrate understanding of older adults' needs, which is the course's focus.
HLTH 380 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Choose two websites with different purposes, such as health information, local services, caregiving or benefits, and prefer sites run by government agencies, universities or established nonprofits. Evaluate each with the course form, checking who runs the site, whether information is reviewed and dated, whether it sells anything and how easily an older reader can find their way around it. For each narrative, picture a specific older adult or caregiver and walk through how they would use the site, including any barriers such as small text or confusing menus. Keep each narrative at least one page long. Cite the websites and any research in APA format, using "n.d." when a page shows no date.
Related HLTH 380 sample papers
Other HLTH 380 weeks
- HLTH 380 Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
- HLTH 380 Week 2: Article Analysis
- HLTH 380 Week 5: Personal Interviews
- HLTH 380 Week 7: Long-Term Care Facility Project
- HLTH 380 Week 8: Belief Statement
More BS in Public Health sample papers
- HLTH 252 Week 3: Case Study Analysis 1
- HLTH 349 Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 2
- HLTH 350 Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 2
HLTH 380 Week 3 questions, answered
What is the HLTH 380 Website Evaluation?
This 50-point task has students rate two websites with aging information on a course form and write a one-page narrative on how each helps an older person.
Where can I find a free HLTH 380 Week 3 sample paper?
This page presents a complete HLTH 380 Week 3 website evaluation of the National Institute on Aging's health pages and the Eldercare Locator.
What makes a health website trustworthy for older adults?
Look for sites run by government agencies, universities or established nonprofits, with dated and reviewed information, no sales pressure and large, clear text and menus that are simple to follow.
How many older adults look for health information online?
In one national study, only 9.7% of adults 65 and older with low health literacy used the internet for health information, compared with 31.9% of those with adequate literacy.
What chapters go with the HLTH 380 Website Evaluation?
Chapters 4 and 5 of Robnett and Chop, with two presentations, are assigned in Module/Week 3 when the website evaluation is due.
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