A comparative evaluation of factors influencing elderly persons' use of wearable technologies for their healthcare within Saudi Arabia and Australia

<p dir="ltr">The elderly represent one of the most vulnerable segments of societies and need close attention and a high level of healthcare support to assist them in managing successful ageing. Technology can be a viable solution to achieve that goal through innovative wearable healthcare devices, referred to in this research as wearable technology for healthcare (WTFHC). The applications of WTFHC can significantly assist in monitoring, tracking, recording, and sharing vital data regarding the elderly’s physical and medical conditions, facilitating the management of their physical and mental health and the coordination with healthcare specialists. However, the adoption of WTFHC among the elderly is low compared to the increasing global population of this demographic. This disproportionate rate of WTFHC adoption among the elderly can be attributed to many social, cultural, economic, and technical factors. Defining and addressing these factors could significantly help in increasing the elderly’s acceptance of WTFHC. This comparative study aimed to define the factors that could influence the behavioural intentions of the elderly to adopt WTFHC in Saudi Arabia and Australia. The main focus of the comparison is the impact of cultural differences on WTFHC acceptance. The goals of this research included: 1. Defining the influential factors on the elderly’s behavioural intentions in both countries. 2. Understanding how cultural differences can influence the pathway to the adoption decision. 3. Investigating whether one conceptual model can predict the acceptance of WTFHC within culturally contrasting countries. Through a sequential methodology incorporating two qualitative and quantitative studies, this research found that cultural differences are critical in determining the elderly’s behavioural intentions to adopt the WTFHC. Consequently, regardless of areas of similarities in the outcomes, no single conceptual model can accurately predict the WTFHC acceptance, as variation in cultural attributes strongly impacts how the elderly form their perceptions.</p>