JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With the advancement of society and the development of technology, health medical treatment has entered the mobile era and a serious digital divide issue has emerged in the engagement of elder people with mobile health. Family health and media use behavior are important factors in promoting elder people's use of mobile health devices, but no research has been conducted on the mediating role of media use behavior in the relationship between elder people's family health and their intention to use mobile health devices at present. This study aims to explore the associations among elder people's intention to use mobile health devices, family health, and media use behavior.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of family health and media use behavior on the intention of the elderly to use mobile health devices in China, and to provide reasonable and feasible suggestions to help the elderly bridge the digital divide.

Methods:

Data from 3,712 older adults over 60 years old were obtained from the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents (PBICR) in 2022. Linear regression models were applied to measure the correlation between family health, media use behavior, and intention to use mobile health devices after the adjustment for covariates. We used the Sobel-Goodman mediation test to examine the mediation role of media use behavior on the relationship between family health and intention to use mobile health devices. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

Results:

There was a positive correlation among family health, media use behavior, and intention to use mobile health devices ( r = 0.077 ~ 0.178, P < 0.001). Media use behavior partially mediated the relationship between the total score of family health and intention to use mobile health devices ( Sobel test: Z = 5.451, P < 0.001), which mediated 22.46% after adjusting the covariates. However, in the fractal dimension of family health, media use behavior fully mediates the relationship between family health resources and mobile health devices use intention ( Sobel test: Z = -7.284, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis further revealed that media use behavior had no mediating effect between the total score of family health and the intention of using mobile health devices of the elderly with low education level, but there was a complete mediating effect between the family health resources and the intention to use mobile health devices of the elderly with different education levels.

Conclusions:

This study discovered that family health and media use behavior was pivotal in encouraging older adults to use mobile health devices. Media use behavior moderates the relationship between family health and mobile health devices, and more complex mechanisms of influence exist among older adults with poor education. In the future, the positive impact of family health should be fully exploited, with particular emphasis on the important role of family health resources in increasing older adults’ media exposure and stimulating their interest in using mobile health devices. Furthermore, measures such as vigorously developing elder digital education and developing elderly-oriented media products are conducive to breaking down educational and cultural barriers, reducing the technological difficulties of using media devices for the elderly and enhancing their willingness to use mobile health devices.