Technology anxiety and resistance to change behavioral study of a wearable cardiac warming system using an extended TAM for older adults

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 1; p. e0227270
• Main Authors: Tsai, Tsai-Hsuan, Lin, Wen-Yen, Chang, Yung-Sheng, Chang, Po-Cheng, Lee, Ming-Yih
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.01.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adults; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiety - psychology; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomedical Technology; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnosis; Chronic illnesses; Computer and Information Sciences; Elderly people; Electronic devices; Female; Humans; Intention; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Models, Psychological; Monitoring, Ambulatory - instrumentation; Monitoring, Ambulatory - psychology; Motivation; New technology; Older people; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Patient Preference; People and Places; Risk groups; Sensors; Smart materials; Social Sciences; Taiwan; Technology; Technology utilization; Telemedicine - instrumentation; Telemedicine - statistics & numerical data; User groups; Wearable Electronic Devices - psychology; Wearable technology; Wireless Technology - instrumentation; Taiwan; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227270

With advances in technology, wireless and sensor technologies represent a method for continuously recording people's biomedical signals, which may enhance the diagnosis and treatment of users' everyday health conditions. These technologies mostly target older adults. In this study, we examine a smart clothing system targeting clinically high-risk patients, including older adults with cardiovascular disease (31 outpatients) and older adults in general (81 participants), to obtain an understanding of the patients' perception of using wearable healthcare technologies. Given that technology anxiety has been shown to affect users' resistance to using new technology and that perceived ubiquity is considered a characteristic of wearable devices and other mobile wireless technologies, we included three external variables: i.e., technology anxiety, perceived ubiquity, and resistance to change, in addition to the traditional components of the technology acceptance model (TAM). The results of the hypothesized model showed that among older adults in general, technology anxiety had a negative effect on the perceived ease of use and perceived ubiquity. The perceived ubiquity construct affects both user groups' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of wearing smart clothes. Most relationships among the original constructs of the TAM were validated in older adults in general. Interestingly, we found that perceived usefulness had an indirect effect on behavioral intention through attitude. These results further confirm the validity of the extended TAM in determining older users' technology acceptance behavior.