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

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.

[1]  Joseph Sharit,et al.  Use of and satisfaction with sources of health information among older Internet users and nonusers. , 2009, The Gerontologist.

[2]  E Leventhal,et al.  Medication Adherence in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Older Is Wiser , 1999, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[3]  E B Ryan,et al.  Attitudes toward younger and older adults learning to use computers. , 1992, Journal of gerontology.

[4]  E. Idler.  Age differences in self-assessments of health: age changes, cohort differences, or survivorship? , 1993, Journal of gerontology.

[5]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Ensuring Access to Care in Rural Areas: The Role of Communication Technology , 1997 .

[6]  J. Chipperfield,et al.  The interactive effect of perceived control and functional status on health and mortality among young-old and old-old adults. , 1997, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[7]  N. Charness,et al.  Factors Predicting the Use of Technology: Findings From the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) , 2006 .

[8]  T. Prohaska,et al.  Age, symptom interpretation, and health behavior. , 1986, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[9]  E. Clipp,et al.  A randomized controlled trial of the psychosocial impact of providing internet training and access to older adults , 2002, Aging & mental health.

[10]  J. Rohrer,et al.  Impact of online primary care visits on standard costs: a pilot study. , 2010, Population health management.

[11]  S. Cutler,et al.  Correlates of self-reported everyday memory problems. , 1988, Journal of gerontology.

[12]  Viswanath Venkatesh,et al.  Consumer Acceptance and Use of Information Technology: Extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology , 2012, MIS Q..

[13]  Naveen Donthu,et al.  Using the technology acceptance model to explain how attitudes determine Internet usage: The role of perceived access barriers and demographics , 2006 .

[14]  S. Kasl,et al.  Self-ratings of health: do they also predict change in functional ability? , 1995, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[15]  S. L. Leong,et al.  Enhancing doctor-patient communication using email: a pilot study. , 2005, The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.

[16]  C. Chronaki,et al.  European citizens' use of E-health services: A study of seven countries , 2007, BMC public health.

[17]  D. Bouwhuis,et al.  Older adults' motivated choice for technological innovation: evidence for benefit-driven selectivity. , 2006, Psychology and aging.

[18]  L. Strain.  Good Health , 1993 .

[19]  M. Lachman,et al.  The association between computer use and cognition across adulthood: use it so you won't lose it? , 2010, Psychology and aging.

[20]  Fred D. Davis.  Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[21]  M. Pinquart,et al.  Correlates of subjective health in older adults: a meta-analysis. , 2001, Psychology and aging.

[22]  Elizabeth A. Krupinski,et al.  Designing Telehealth for an Aging Population: A Human Factors Perspective , 2011 .

[23]  Pierre Chauvin,et al.  Health information seeking on the Internet: a double divide? Results from a representative survey in the Paris metropolitan area, France, 2005–2006 , 2008, BMC public health.

[24]  Y. Benyamini,et al.  Elderly people's ratings of the importance of health-related factors to their self-assessments of health. , 2003, Social science & medicine.