Adoption of internet of things (IOT) based wearables for healthcare of older adults – a behavioural reasoning theory (BRT) approach

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to utilize the novel approach of applying the behavioral reasoning theory (BRT) to examine the adoption of internet of things (IoT) based wearables for the healthcare of older adults and it aims to understand the relative effect of “reasons for” and “reasons against” adoption of IoT-based wearables for health care among older adults.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypothesized relationships were established using the BRT and empirically tested using a representative sample of 815 respondents. The data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM method.

Findings

The findings of this study demonstrate that adoption intention of IoT-based wearables for the health care of older adults is influenced by “reason for” and “reason against” adoption. The finding shows that “reasons for” adoption are ubiquitous, relative advantage, compatibility and convenience and “reasons against” adoption are usage barrier, traditional barrier and risk barrier. Value of “openness to change” significantly influences the “reasons for” and “reasons against” adoption of IoT-based wearables.

Research limitations/implications

This cross-sectional study is conducted only in the Indian context and future research can be conducted in other countries to generalize the results.

Practical implications

This research highlighted both the adoption factors—“for” and “against,” which should be considered while developing marketing strategies for IoT-based wearables for health care of older adults. Adoption of IoT-based wearables for healthcare of older adults will increase when marketers endeavor to minimize the effects of the anti-adoption factors.

Originality/value

This is a unique study that examines the adoption of IoT-based wearables for healthcare among older people using the BRT, by probing the “reasons for” and “reasons against” adoption in a single framework.

Citation

Sivathanu, B. (2018), "Adoption of internet of things (IOT) based wearables for healthcare of older adults – a behavioural reasoning theory (BRT) approach", Journal of Enabling Technologies, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 169-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-12-2017-0048