Factors Influencing Wearable Technology Adoption

As wearable health technologies become increasingly important in preventive healthcare and personal health management, understanding the factors that drive user adoption has become a critical issue for researchers and practitioners. Although previous studies have examined wearable technology adoption from either health-related or technology-related perspectives, limited research has integrated these perspectives within a comprehensive framework. This study develops an integrated framework based on the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and self-efficacy to investigate factors influencing users' attitudes and intentions toward wearable health devices. Data were collected via an online survey of 385 Taiwanese adults, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed relationships. Results show that perceived health threat, perceived usefulness, and self-efficacy significantly influence user attitudes, which in turn affect behavioral intention, while perceived ease of use exerts an indirect effect. Barriers such as low perceived need and limited technological confidence were identified as adoption inhibitors. The findings indicate that both health-related perceptions and technology-related evaluations jointly influence wearable technology adoption decisions. The findings provide an integrated framework that combines health belief and technology acceptance perspectives, offering practical implications for healthcare communicators, technology developers, marketers, and policymakers to enhance user engagement, improve device design, and promote preventive health behaviors through wearable healthcare technologies.