The Role of Health Status in Older Adults' Perceptions of the Usefulness of Ehealth Technology.

Overview

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between an older individual's self-reported health and the perceived usefulness of computers in assisting with health-related tasks. METHODS: A total of 210 older adults (age≥60) completed questionnaire items pertaining to demographics, general health, perception of importance of daily activities, technology experience and use, and perceived usefulness of computers and the Internet. Results were obtained using a factor analysis and multiple regression. RESULTS: Self-reported health was found to have a significant negative relationship with the importance of health-related activities to daily living (Beta = -0.210) but a significant positive relationship with the perceived usefulness of computers in assisting with the same health-related activities (Beta = 0.151). DISCUSSION: Results indicate that adoption of health-supporting technologies could be facilitated by user-centered designs that better accommodate older adults in poor health. Alternatively, adoption may be facilitated by making the potential usefulness of computers more salient to older adults.

Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population : Design for Aging : First International Conference, ITAP 2015, held as part of HCI International 2015, Los Angeles, CA, USA, August 2-7, 2015. Proceedings. Part I. ITAP (Conference) (1st : 20... Journal