The global ageing of the population raises a new challenge connected to the ability to live longer in healthy conditions, concept also referred to as Healthy Ageing. The newest virtual coaching systems, able to collect data, to process it in real time and to induce a behaviour change, can significantly support the individual in the maintenance of his well-being. However, despite the proved benefits and potentials of such systems, the engagement of people aged 60 and over is still low. Given the limited evidence of previous works investigating the antecedents of the intention to use virtual coaching systems for healthy ageing, we perform an empirical study in this direction through the development and testing of an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Three potential explanatory variables are added to the basic model: Subjective Norm, Health Literacy and IT Literacy. The testing of the underlying hypotheses, performed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), confirms the significance of Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness, elements of basic TAM, in explaining the Intention to Use a virtual coaching system. Subjective Norm proves to influence only indirectly the Intention variable, while Health Literacy presents a negative effect on the Intention to Use, as opposed to expectations. The outcomes are then operationalised into practical advices, in order to increase the users’ perception of ease of use and of real added value in supporting the ageing process of the individual. Finally, considering the results obtained, we provide suggestions for further investigations.
Il processo di invecchiamento che la popolazione globale si trova a fronteggiare pone una nuova sfida legata alla possibilità di vivere più a lungo mantenendo buone condizioni di salute, concetto spesso indicato con il termine Healthy Ageing. I nuovi sistemi di virtual coaching, capaci di collezionare i dati dell’individuo istantaneamente e utilizzarli per guidare il suo comportamento, possono supportarlo in modo significativo nel mantenimento del benessere. Tuttavia, nonostante i benefici dimostrati e le potenzialità di diffusione di tali sistemi, il loro utilizzo per la fascia over 60 è ancora limitato. Dato l’esiguo numero di studi esistenti riguardanti i fattori che influenzano l'intenzione a utilizzare sistemi di virtual coaching per healthy ageing, abbiamo condotto uno studio empirico in questa direzione attraverso lo sviluppo e il test di un Technology Acceptance Model esteso. Tre potenziali variabili esplicative sono state aggiunte al modello di base: Subjective Norm, Health Literacy e IT Literacy. Il test delle ipotesi, realizzato mediante Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), conferma le relazioni fondanti del modello TAM, avvalorando l’importanza della percezione di utilità e facilità del sistema; Subjective Norm risulta influenzare solo indirettamente l’Intenzione, mentre una maggiore Health Literacy sembra determinare una minor volontà di utilizzare un virtual coach, contrariamente alle aspettative. I risultati sono poi tradotti in indicazioni pratiche finalizzate a far percepire il virtual coach come uno strumento di facile utilizzo e di valore aggiunto nel processo di invecchiamento. Per concludere, alla luce dei risultati ottenuti, presentiamo alcune linee guida per futuri studi in questo ambito.
Engaging with a virtual coach for healthy ageing : an empirical investigation of the intention to use through a TAM-extended framework
VISCONTI, FRANCESCA;VOLANI, ELEONORA
2017/2018
Abstract
The global ageing of the population raises a new challenge connected to the ability to live longer in healthy conditions, concept also referred to as Healthy Ageing. The newest virtual coaching systems, able to collect data, to process it in real time and to induce a behaviour change, can significantly support the individual in the maintenance of his well-being. However, despite the proved benefits and potentials of such systems, the engagement of people aged 60 and over is still low. Given the limited evidence of previous works investigating the antecedents of the intention to use virtual coaching systems for healthy ageing, we perform an empirical study in this direction through the development and testing of an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Three potential explanatory variables are added to the basic model: Subjective Norm, Health Literacy and IT Literacy. The testing of the underlying hypotheses, performed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), confirms the significance of Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness, elements of basic TAM, in explaining the Intention to Use a virtual coaching system. Subjective Norm proves to influence only indirectly the Intention variable, while Health Literacy presents a negative effect on the Intention to Use, as opposed to expectations. The outcomes are then operationalised into practical advices, in order to increase the users’ perception of ease of use and of real added value in supporting the ageing process of the individual. Finally, considering the results obtained, we provide suggestions for further investigations.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/145335