Factors Influencing Continued Wearable Device Use in Older Adult Populations: Quantitative Study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Digital Health

Background:

• Wearable sensor technology offers potential for remote telehealth, particularly for older adults in rural areas.
• Usability challenges often hinder patient adoption of these telehealth services.
• Older adults may face difficulties with travel to clinics, making remote options attractive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key usability factors influencing older adults' continued use of wearable devices.
• To understand the decision-making process for adopting wearable technology in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• 65 older adults across four European regions participated in a 7-day free-living trial with an activity tracker.
• Participants completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) and a custom usability questionnaire.
• Statistical analyses and machine learning classifiers were used to predict continued device use.

Main Results:

• Perceived usability (SUS scores) did not differ significantly by region, sex, or age.
• Device comfort and fitness for purpose were the most critical factors for continued use (τ=0.34 for both).
• A machine learning model achieved 88% accuracy in predicting continued use based on usability questionnaire data.

Conclusions:

• Device comfort and accuracy (fitness for purpose) are paramount for sustained wearable technology adoption by older adults.
• These usability factors are likely transferable to other wearable sensor systems.
• Future research will validate these findings across different wearable technologies.