Research on elderly users' intentions to accept wearable devices based on the improved UTAUT model

Introduction As the proportion of the world's elderly population continues to increase, wearable devices can provide ideas for solving a series of problems caused by population aging. Therefore, it is of great significance for the development of intelligent elderly care and the improvement of the quality of elderly care services to explore the factors that influence the intention of elderly users to accept wearable devices. Methods An improved unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model is constructed from the perspective of elderly individuals, and new parameters are added, including four factors related to wearable devices, including performance expectancy, perceived cost, hedonic value and aesthetic appeal, and three factors related to elderly individuals, including personal physiological conditions, health anxiety and personal innovativeness in information technology. The data analysis was accomplished with the partial least square regression structural equation modeling. Results The findings of this study revealed that performance expectancy, perceived cost, hedonic value and aesthetic appeal all have significant impact on elderly users' intention to use wearable devices. Furthermore, personal innovativeness in information technology, personal physiological condition, and intention to use all have significant impact on elderly users' actual usage behavior of wearable devices. However, there is no obvious relationship between health anxiety and actual usage behavior. Discussion Elderly adults' attention to wearable devices plays an important role in the development of the wearable device-related industry chain, which provides management suggestions for stakeholders.