Changes in the Use Intention of Digital Wellness Technologies and Its Antecedents Over Time: The Use of Physical Activity Logger Applications Among Young Elderly in Finland

Abstract

Physical inactivity has become a prevalent problem among elderly people. Although digital wellness technologies have been proposed as one promising solution to it, our understanding on the antecedents of the acceptance and use of these technologies among elderly people remains limited. In this study, our objective is to promote this understanding by examining the potential changes in the use intention of digital wellness technologies and its antecedents over time in the case of the young elderly segment and physical activity logger applications. We base this examination theoretically on UTAUT2 and empirically on survey data that is collected from 99 Finnish young elderly users of a physical activity logger application and analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). We find the scores of both use intention and most of its antecedents to decline over time as well as some changes in the effects of the antecedents on use intention.