Abstract
Currently, internet services are developing rapidly, and the relationship between specific types of internet services and the well-being of older adults is still unclear. This study took a total of 353 urban older adults aged 60 years and above as research objects to explore the impact of the use behavior toward internet-based medical services (IBMS) on their well-being through an online questionnaire. This study integrated well-being theory and peer support theory, constructed an extended structural equation model of technology acceptance based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), and analyzed the variable path relationship. The results confirm the proposed model: older adults improved their eudaimonic well-being through using IBMS; perceived usefulness significantly affected the older adults’ attitudes towards IBMS; perceived ease of use significantly affected the use of IBMS through mediation; peer support significantly affected older adults’ attitudes, willingness, actual use, and well-being in the process. This study proposes that facilitating IBMS use for older adults in the development and design of internet technology programs should be considered in order to provide them with benefits. Moreover, paying attention to peer support among older adults plays an important role in the acceptance of new technologies and improving their well-being. The “peer support” of this study expanded and contributed to the research on the impact on older adults’ well-being and the construction of a technology acceptance model. The peer support in this study extended the influence factor of eudaimonic well-being and contributed to the further development of the TAM.
Highlights
China is in an important period of implementing an active population aging strategy and building an intelligent society
71 and 75, 62 subjects (17.56%) were aged between 76 and 80, and 21 subjects (5.95%) were aged over 81; educational background, 93 subjects (26.35%) were educated below a junior high school level, 109 subjects (30.88%) were educated at a junior high school level, and 151 subjects (42.78%) were educated at or above university level; residence status, 166 (47.03%). Subjects lived with their spouses, 107 (35.971%) subjects lived with their families, and 60 (17.00%) subjects lived alone
“peer support” as an external variable, we examined whether it had an impact on the path from attitude to usage intention and to actual usage in the course of older adults using internet-based medical services (IBMS), and we confirmed whether it could eventually affect well-being instead of affecting Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU)
Summary
China is in an important period of implementing an active population aging strategy and building an intelligent society. In 2020, the number of older adults aged 60 and over in China reached 264 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population. This number is expected to exceed 400 million in 2035, accounting for one quarter of the total population. According to statistics from the China Internet Development Report, the number of internet users in China reached 904 million in March 2020, and the rate of internet penetration reached 64.5%, but the proportion of internet users aged 60 and over was only 6.7%. As shown by data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the population aged 60 and above accounted for about 18.1% of the total population by the end of 2019 [1]. With the rapid development of digital and information technology, the internet health-care industry
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