Older Adult Readiness and Willingness to Adopt Mobile Health Technology
Author
Grande, Kasper
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-05-25
Pages
57
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, om ældre i Danmark er klar og villige til at bruge mobil sundhedsteknologi—løsninger, der overvåger personlige helbredsdata og giver konkrete råd for at støtte adfærdsændringer. Ti deltagere fra en motionsklub deltog i flere interviewforløb og praktiske afprøvninger. Interviewene afdækkede deres holdninger og begrundelser. Samtidig blev der målt fysiologiske data med elektrokardiogram (EKG), og hjertefrekvensvariabilitet (HRV)—variationer i tiden mellem hjerteslag—blev analyseret for at vurdere, om den kan skelne mellem forskellige daglige aktiviteter. Resultaterne peger på, at ældre generelt er åbne over for ny sundhedsteknologi, men ikke parate til at tage den i brug med det samme. Barrierer omfatter en negativ grundindstilling til ny teknologi samt modvilje mod at opsøge information om og tale om helbred. På baggrund af disse fund og deltagernes feedback foreslås designretningslinjer, der tilbyder alternative måder at motivere ældre til at være fysisk og socialt aktive—uden at være afhængig af mobil sundhedsteknologi.
This thesis examines whether older adults in Denmark are ready and willing to use mobile health technology—tools that track personal health data and provide concrete advice to support behavior change. Ten participants from an exercise club took part in multiple interview sessions and practical tests. The interviews explored their attitudes and the reasons behind them. Physiological data were also collected using an electrocardiogram (ECG), and heart rate variability (HRV)—the variation in time between heartbeats—was analyzed to assess whether it can distinguish between different daily activities. The findings suggest that older adults are generally open to new health technology but are not ready to adopt it immediately. Barriers include a negative stance toward new technology and reluctance to seek out or talk about health issues. Based on these results and participant feedback, the thesis proposes design guidelines that offer alternative ways to motivate older adults to stay physically and socially active without relying on mobile health technology.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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