TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kim, Seungmo
AU  - Chow, Bik Chu
AU  - Park, Sanghyun
AU  - Liu, Huaxuan
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/4/12
TI  - The Usage of Digital Health Technology Among Older Adults in Hong Kong and the Role of Technology Readiness and eHealth Literacy: Path Analysis
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e41915
VL  - 25
KW  - older adults
KW  - elderly
KW  - digital health technology
KW  - health technology
KW  - digital health
KW  - technology readiness
KW  - eHealth literacy
KW  - continuous usage intention
KW  - usage intention
KW  - intention-to-use
KW  - attitude
KW  - technology use
KW  - elder
KW  - digital literacy
KW  - adoption
KW  - acceptance
KW  - readiness
KW  - gerontology
KW  - aging
AB  - Background: Although digital health technologies (DHTs) help many people maintain a healthy life, including those of advanced age, these technologies are of little use to older adult populations if they are not being adopted in daily life. Thus, it is critical to identify ways to help older adults recognize and try new technologies and maintain their use of them to maximize the benefits of these technologies in a digital-based society. Objective: Our study aimed (1) to assess the current usage of DHT among older adults in Hong Kong and (2) to examine how high and low levels of eHealth literacy in this group affects the relationship between the Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) and attitudes and intention toward DHT. Methods: A total of 306 adults over 60 years of age in Hong Kong participated in this study. After conducting confirmatory factor analysis to validate the measurement model, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. Results: Optimism was significantly related to perceived usefulness, while optimism, innovativeness, and discomfort were significantly associated with perceived ease of use. Both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were significantly linked to attitude toward the use of DHTs. Meanwhile, attitude significantly predicted usage intention. Additionally, the results revealed the differences in the relationships of the TRAM between participants with high and low levels of eHealth literacy. The influence of optimism and innovativeness on perceived ease of use was stronger for the higher-level group than for the lower-level group, and the influence of discomfort for the higher-level group was much weaker. Conclusions: The findings provided partial support for the impact of eHealth literacy on encouraging older adults to use DHT and obtain health benefits from it. This study also suggests providing assistance and guidelines for older adults to narrow the aging-related technology gap and to further explore the associations of eHealth literacy, the TRAM, and actual behaviors. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e41915
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/41915
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37043274
DO  - 10.2196/41915
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/41915
ER  -