Factors associated with use of wearable technology to support activity, well-being, or a healthy lifestyle in the adult population and among older adults

The use of wearable technology, which is often acquired to support well-being and a healthy lifestyle, has become popular in Western countries. At the same time, healthcare is gradually taking the first steps to introduce wearable technology into patient care, even though on a large scale the evidence of its’ effectiveness is still lacking. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with use of wearable technology to support activity, well-being, or a healthy lifestyle in the Finnish adult population (20–99) and among older adults (65–99). The study utilized a cross-sectional population survey of Finnish adults aged 20 and older (n = 6,034) to analyse non-causal relationships between wearable technology use and the users’ characteristics. Logistic regression models of wearable technology use were constructed using statistically significant sociodemographic, well-being, health, benefit, and lifestyle variables. Both in the general adult population and among older adults, wearable technology use was associated with getting aerobic physical activity weekly according to national guidelines and with marital status. In the general adult population, wearable technology use was also associated with not sleeping enough and agreeing with the statement that social welfare and healthcare e-services help in taking an active role in looking after one’s own health and well-being. Younger age was associated with wearable technology use in the general adult population but for older adults age was not a statistically significant factor. Among older adults, non-use of wearable technology went hand in hand with needing guidance in e-service use, using a proxy, or not using e-services at all. The results support exploration of the effects of wearable technology use on maintaining an active lifestyle among adults of all ages.Author summary: Wearable technology is increasingly used to support health and well-being. At the same time, the markets are expanding, and the healthcare sector is becoming aware of the possible benefits. In our study, we looked at wearable technology use from a population survey perspective. The analysis demonstrated that wearable technology use was more common among 20-54-year-olds and that the users reached the recommended amount of aerobic physical activity weekly more often than non-users. The increased activity level could impact public health in a positive way. However, since the data set was cross-sectional, we do not know if the increased activity level is a consequence of wearable technology use or were the wearable technology users already more active before starting to use the technology. Other insights were that wearable technology use decreases after the age of 54 and that among older adults wearable technology use is strongly associated with independent e-service use. We hope this study encourages conducting more research on WT use and that the results inspire the design of products also for older adults who are not familiar with using this kind of modern technology.