Determinants of information communication and smart home automation technology adoption for aging-in-place
Journal of Enabling Technologies
ISSN: 2398-6263
Article publication date: 1 May 2020
Issue publication date: 21 July 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Smart home (SH) internet of things can promote home safety, health monitoring and independence of older adults to age-in-place. Despite its commercial growth, low adoption rates of the technology among aging consumers remain a major barrier. The purpose of this study is to examine SH technology ownership of older adults and its causal pathways with demographics, health and functioning, home safety and information communication technology (ICT) use.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey on technology-mediated aging-in-place was completed by 447 respondents, 65 years and older. Structural equation modeling was used to underscore the causal pathways among demographics, health, independence and home safety, ICT and home automation technology adoption.
Findings
The study found that ICT usability, home security and independence have a significant direct effect on SH ownership. Demographics had no significant direct effect, but its influence was mediated through ICT usability. With home safety as mediator, physical impairment, falls and accidents and independence had a significant association with SH ownership. Similarly, increased social support (mediated through home security) decreased the probability of SH automation ownership.
Originality/value
The findings signify the perceived usefulness of SH automation as theorized in technology acceptance models.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the England Faculty Fund at the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15AG044807. The project described was also supported by the Tufts National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, award number UL1TR002544. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.
Citation
Arthanat, S., Chang, H. and Wilcox, J. (2020), "Determinants of information communication and smart home automation technology adoption for aging-in-place", Journal of Enabling Technologies, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 73-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-11-2019-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited