Study on the Types of Elderly Intelligent Health Management Technology and the Influencing Factors of Its Adoption

How perceived risk of recurrence strengthens health management awareness in stroke patients: the chain mediating role of risk fear and health literacy

Background

Prior research has found that perceived risk in stroke patients motivates health behaviors in visitors. However, the role that perceived risk of recurrence in stroke patients plays in reinforcing health management awareness during the motivation phase is unclear.

Objective

This study explores this issue by examining the effects of risk fear and health literacy on health management awareness due to perceived risk of recurrence in stroke patients.

Methods

We validated the effect of perceived risk of recurrence on health management awareness and its internal mechanism by constructing a structural equation model and including 763 stroke patients, extending the relevant literature and application of the Healthy Behavior Procedural Approach (HAPA) model.

Result

The results suggest that perceived risk of recurrence in stroke patients can effectively reinforce and improve health management awareness, with risk fear and health literacy having a chain-mediated role in this group relationship.

Conclusion

This study reveals the differential effects of perceived risk of recurrence, risk fear, and health literacy in stroke patients on health management awareness at the individual level, providing valuable guidance for healthcare practitioners and families to improve patients' health outcomes and health well-being.

Demand, utilization, and supply of community smart senior care services for older people in China

Objective

Although smart senior care services offer numerous benefits, they have not yet gained widespread acceptance among the general populace, particularly seniors. Numerous related issues have surfaced, with the structural imbalance between supply and demand being most prominent. Currently, there is a lack of research distinguishing between the various categories of demand for smart ageing services and the associated behaviors of older individuals. In this study, we aimed to identify the types of demand and utilization of smart senior care services among Chinese older adults to understand their diverse characteristics and the factors that facilitate certain behaviors. We also analyzed the imbalance between supply and demand for smart senior care services and explored the factors influencing it, thereby providing a reference for optimizing smart senior services.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study from January to March 2023 and analyzed 1037 valid questionnaires. Three types of smart senior care services were investigated: intelligent information, intelligent consultation, and intelligent monitoring. We identified the demand, utilization, and supply of these services among older individuals. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to differentiate the heterogeneity of older adults in terms of service demand and utilization. Factors influencing service preferences were analyzed using binary logistic regression based on Andersen's behavioral model.

Results

Based on the LCA findings, service demand, and utilization were divided into two categories: positive demand (desire to use the services) or negative demand, and taking action or negative action to use the services. The persons with high demand but low utilization comprised the largest number of older people in this study (69.35%). The results indicated that the number of children (odds ratio (OR) = 1.491), community-provided smart devices (OR = 1.700), number of chronic diseases (OR = 1.218), and self-care capacity (OR = 0.214) are associated with positive demand. Meanwhile, pre-retirement employment, income sources, community device provided, community promotion, region, and self-care ability were significant predictors (p < 0.05) of taking action to use the services. In terms of community supply outcome, income situation had a significant effect on intelligent information services. Income sources were associated with intelligent information and intelligent monitoring services. Pre-retirement employment and housing type variables showed effect on IC services. Community promotion and self-care ability were associated with all three types of service supply (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Older adults expressed a strong demand for smart ageing services; however, difficulties using smart technology remain a serious problem. Further investigation of how family support contributes to the perception and use of care services for older people is needed. Specific policies, such as financial assistance, should be established to support service use. Communities should expand their support and promotion of smart ageing services, focusing on enhancing digital health literacy among seniors to facilitate product utilization. Furthermore, personalized recommendations and applications tailored to the physical conditions of older adults are essential.

Analysis of demand and influencing factors for smart senior care among older adults in underdeveloped regions of western China: a case study of Lanzhou

Introduction

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and Internet-of-Things technology, internal support systems among families are gradually weakening, which can no longer satisfy the current demands of older adults. In this context, smart senior care has become a new development direction. However, existing studies on the demand for smart senior care are primarily concentrated in economically developed provinces and mega-cities in eastern China; their research results or conclusions may not apply to underdeveloped areas in the Western region. Therefore, our study selects Lanzhou as a representative city in an underdeveloped western region to investigate the demand of older adults for smart senior care and analyze the influencing factors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 4,815 older adults from Lanzhou, China. A structured questionnaire was designed to investigate the demands of the older adults for smart senior care and analyze thie influencing factors. The Chi-square test was used for single factor analysis of each variable. The logistic regression model included the statistically significant variables to analyze factors influencing older adults' demand for smart senior care. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Among the surveyed older adults, 1,625 (33.75%) expressed a demand for smart senior care. The finding indicated that participants' age, level of education, marital status, monthly income, number of children, type of endowment insurance, and knowledge of smart senior care were significantly associated with their demands for smart senior care (p < 0.05). Notably, medical care emerged as the smart senior care service with the highest demand rate (79.45%).

Conclusion

In Lanzhou, older adults show a low level of knowledge but a high demand for smart senior care. Their demand is influenced by personal, family, health conditions, senior care security, and other factors. To advance smart senior care, government departments should accelerate the improvement of the laws and regulations on smart senior care while vigorously enhancing the service's publicity to raise knowledge about it. Additionally, the service contents for smart senior care should be expanded to meet the diversified demands of older adults.

The determinants of public acceptance of telemedicine apps: an innovation diffusion perspective

With the rapid advancement of information technology, telemedicine apps have gradually become an indispensable tool for providing patients with more convenient, efficient, and accessible healthcare services. However, the successful implementation of these apps largely depends on widespread acceptance among the public. To thoroughly investigate the factors influencing the public's acceptance of these apps and the relationships between these factors, this study developed a theoretical model based on the Diffusion of Innovation theory and the Theory of Perceived Value. To validate this model, we conducted a survey of 387 residents in Beijing, China, and employed structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data. The research findings indicate that attributes of innovation diffusion, including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability, significantly and positively influence the public's perceived value. Particularly noteworthy is that perceived value partially mediates the relationship between innovation attributes and public acceptance, emphasizing the crucial role of perceived value in the public decision-making process. This study employed a theory-driven approach to elucidate the acceptance of telemedicine apps and offers fresh insights into the existing literature. By integrating the research paradigms of innovation diffusion and customer perceived value, we provide a coherent explanation of how individual cognitive processes lead to acceptance behavior. In summary, this research enriches the existing theoretical studies on the acceptance of telemedicine apps and holds positive implications for healthcare practice.

Feasibility of a kinect-based system in assessing physical function of the elderly for home-based care

BACKGROUND

With concerns about accurate diagnosis through telehealth, the Kinect sensor offers a reliable solution for movement analysis. However, there is a lack of practical research investigating the suitability of a Kinect-based system as a functional fitness assessment tool in homecare settings. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a Kinect-based system to assess physical function changes in the elderly.

METHODS

The study consisted of two phases. Phase one involved 35 young healthy adults, evaluating the reliability and validity of a Kinect-based fitness evaluation compared to traditional physical examination using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Phase two involved 665 elderly subjects, examining the correlation between the Kinect-based fitness evaluation and physical examination through Pearson's correlation coefficients. A Kinect sensor (Microsoft Xbox One Kinect V2) with customized software was employed to capture and compute the movement of joint centers. Both groups performed seven functional assessments simultaneously monitored by a physical therapist and the Kinect system. System usability and user satisfaction were assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction (QUIS), respectively.

RESULTS

Kinect-based system showed overall moderate to excellent within-day reliability (ICC = 0.633-1.0) and between-day reliability (ICC = 0.686-1.0). The overall agreement between the two devices was highly correlated (r ≧ 0.7) for all functional assessment tests in young healthy adults. The Kinect-based system also showed a high correlation with physical examination for the functional assessments (r = 0.858-0.988) except functional reach (r = 0.484) and walking speed(r = 0.493). The users' satisfaction with the system was excellent (SUS score = 84.4 ± 18.5; QUIS score = 6.5-6.7).

CONCLUSIONS

The reliability and validity of Kinect for assessing functional performance are generally favorable. Nonetheless, caution is advised when employing Kinect for tasks involving depth changes, such as functional reach and walking speed tests for their moderate validity. However, Kinect's fundamental motion detection capabilities demonstrate its potential for future applications in telerehabilitation in different healthcare settings.

Exploring Older Adults' Willingness to Install Home Surveil-Lance Systems in Taiwan: Factors and Privacy Concerns

Taiwan has a rapidly increasing aging population with a considerably high life expectancy rate, which poses challenges for healthcare and medical systems. This study examines three key factors: safety concerns, family expectations, and privacy concerns, and their influence on surveillance system installation decisions. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving a group of physically active older adults in Taiwan, using a questionnaire to collect data on the reasons for in-stalling a surveillance system and preferences for three image privacy protection techniques: blurring the face and transformation to a 2D or 3D character. The study concluded that while safety concerns and family expectations facilitate the adoption of surveillance systems, privacy concerns serve as a significant barrier. Furthermore, older adults showed a clear preference for avatar-based privacy protection methods over simpler techniques, such as blurring. The outcomes of this research will be instrumental in shaping the development of privacy-conscious home surveillance technologies, adeptly balancing safety and privacy. This understanding can pave the way for technology design that skillfully balances privacy concerns with remote monitoring quality, thereby enhancing the well-being and safety of this demographic. These results could possibly be extended to other demographics as well.