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. 2022 Dec 14;22(1):967.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03691-3.

The willingness and influencing factors to choose smart senior care among old adults in China

Qiyuan Huang #  1 , Ying Li #  2 , Xiang Wu  3 , Song Ge  4 , Zhe Qu  1 , Aming Wang  3 , Xianping Tang  5   6
Affiliations

The willingness and influencing factors to choose smart senior care among old adults in China

Qiyuan Huang et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: Population aging has become an escalating issue in China resulting in increasing healthcare demand. Smart senior care has the potential to help older adults live independently and relieve the pressure of healthcare including home-based care. This study aimed to explore Chinese older adults' preferred access models and service content of smart senior care and factors affecting their willingness to choose smart senior care.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 760 community-dwelling older adults from Xuzhou, China were included in this study. Their demographics, family support, health status, smart senior care use, and willingness to choose smart senior care were collected. The Chi-square test was used for single factor analysis of each variable. The statistically significant variables were included in the logistics regression model to analyze factors influencing older adults' willingness to choose smart senior care. The chi-square goodness of fit test was used to analyze the preferred content and access models of smart senior care; the Bonferroni method was used to correct the results.

Results: The finding indicated that participants' age, number of children, frequency of children visiting parents, adequate senior care, self-reported health, chronic diseases, smartphone use, and attitude toward smart senior care were significantly associated with their willingness to choose the smart senior care (p < 0.05). For smart senior care access models, participants preferred the remote monitoring model, telephone call model, and the community site model over the health smart home model and the smart application platform model. There was no statistical difference among these three preferred access models (p' > 0.005). Regarding service content, participants desired medical care service the most (p' < 0.005).

Conclusions: Chinese older adults' willingness to choose smart senior care is affected by personal, family, health, and other factors. To develop China's senior care, we should consider their demand and preference for smart senior care. It is important to enrich the content of smart senior care, especially on medical care services, and maintain the dynamic balance between supply and demand using a diverse supply approach.

Keywords: China; smart device; Older adults; Smart senior care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison the differences of the five access models selected by the participants. If the groups contain the same alphabet, there is no statistical difference between/among them. *** p’ < 0.001, ** 0.001 ≤ p’ < 0.005
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison the differences of the five service content selected by the participants. If the groups contain the same alphabet, there is no statistical difference between them. *** p’ < 0.001, ** 0.001 ≤ p’ < 0.005
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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