UNDERSTANDING NEW ZEALAND ADULTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH

Abstract

"E-health has transformed healthcare by improving access and reach of health services, which is now more critical than ever given the COVID-19 pandemic. One aspect of e-health is the delivery of health interventions via the internet or through smartphone apps, known as digital interventions (DI). These DI can improve physical and mental health for people, by modifying behaviour and improving illness management. Despite, the benefits of DI use remains low. One explanation for this low usage is people’s attitudes towards DI. Indeed, having a positive attitude towards DI is associated with an increased likelihood of wanting to engage with DI. Therefore, people’s attitudes towards digital interventions are important in understanding if people are willing to engage with them. To date, limited research exists about attitudes and much of this varies based on region and population. Along, with understanding people’s attitudes it is important to understand what shapes people’s attitudes towards these interventions. Therefore, this study sought to determine New Zealand (NZ) adults’ attitudes towards DI and what shapes these attitudes. In order to address these questions a cross-sectional survey was used. Results indicate that NZ adults have neutral to somewhat positive attitudes to DI and their attitudes are influenced by common factors including: beliefs about accessibility of DI and the COVID-19 experience. These findings suggest that some NZ adults have a positive attitudes to DI, but overall people’s attitudes needed to be addressed to ensure people are ready to use DI."