Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Aug 14, 2022
Date Accepted: Mar 12, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Usage of Digital Health Technology of the Elderly in Hong Kong and the Role of Technology Readiness and eHealth Literacy: A Path Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Although digital health technologies help people maintain a healthy life, these technologies are purposeless unless elderly people use them. Thus, it is critical to identify ways to help elderly people recognize and try new technologies and maintain their use of these technologies in order to benefit the most from these technologies in a digital-based society.
Objective:
Our study aimed a) to assess the current usage of digital health technology (DHT) among elderly people in Hong Kong and b) to examine how the eHealth literacy of elderly people affects the relationship between the technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM) and attitudes and intention toward DHT between high and low levels of eHealth literacy.
Methods:
306 elderly individuals over 60 years old in Hong Kong participated in this study. After conducting confirmatory factor analysis to validate the measurement model, the hypothesized model was tested by using the structural equation model.
Results:
Optimism was significantly related to perceived usefulness (PU), while optimism, innovativeness, and discomfort were significantly associated with perceived ease to use (PEU). Both PU and PEU were significantly linked to attitude toward the use of DHT (ATDHT). Meanwhile, ATDHT significantly predicted the usage intention. Additionally, the results revealed the differences in the relationships of the TRAM between participants with adequate and inadequate eHealth literacy. The influence of optimism and innovativeness on PEU was stronger for the adequate group compared to the inadequate one, and the influence of discomfort for the adequate group was much weaker.
Conclusions:
The findings provided partial support for the impact of eHealth literacy on encouraging elderly people to use DHT and obtain health benefits from it. This study also suggests to provide assistance and guidelines for elderly people to narrow the aging-related technology gap and to further explore the associations of eHealth literacy, the TRAM, and actual behaviors.
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