Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study
Background: Digital health technologies have the potential to improve health outcomes for older adults, especially for those recovering from stroke. However, there are challenges to developing these technologies, such as data absenteeism (where older adults' views are often underrepresented in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179922 |
| _version_ | 1826126322753077248 |
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| author | Lee, Edmund Wei Jian Tan, Warrick W. Pham, Ben Tan Phat Kawaja, Ariffin Theng, Yin-Leng |
| author2 | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information |
| author_facet | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Lee, Edmund Wei Jian Tan, Warrick W. Pham, Ben Tan Phat Kawaja, Ariffin Theng, Yin-Leng |
| author_sort | Lee, Edmund Wei Jian |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Background: Digital health technologies have the potential to improve health outcomes for older adults, especially for those recovering from stroke. However, there are challenges to developing these technologies, such as data absenteeism (where older adults' views are often underrepresented in research and development) and technology chauvinism (the belief that sophisticated technology alone is the panacea to addressing health problems), which hinder their effectiveness. Objective: In this study, we aimed to address these challenges by developing a wearable glove integrated with culturally relevant exergames to motivate older adults to exercise and, for those recovering from stroke, to adhere to rehabilitation. Methods: We conducted a moderated usability study with 19 older adults, of which 11 (58%) had a history of stroke. Our participants engaged in a 30-minute gameplay session with the wearable glove integrated with exergames, followed by a quantitative survey and an in-depth interview. We used descriptive analysis to compare responses to the System Usability Scale between those who had a history of stroke and those who did not. In addition, we analyzed the qualitative interviews using a bottom-up thematic analysis to identify key themes related to the motivations and barriers regarding the use of wearable gloves for rehabilitation and exercise. Results: Our study generated several key insights. First, making the exergames exciting and challenging could improve exercise and rehabilitation motivation, but it could also have a boomerang effect, where participants may become demotivated if the games were very challenging. Second, the comfort and ease of use of the wearable gloves were important for older adults, regardless of their stroke history. Third, for older adults with a history of stroke, the functionality and purpose of the wearable glove were important in helping them with specific exercise movements. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of providing contextual support for the effective use of digital technologies, particularly for older adults recovering from stroke. In addition to technology and usability factors, other contextual factors such as gamification and social support (from occupational therapists or caregivers) should be considered to provide a comprehensive approach to addressing health problems. To overcome data absenteeism and technology chauvinism, it is important to develop digital health technologies that are tailored to the needs of underserved communities. Our study provides valuable insights for the development of digital health technologies that can motivate older adults recovering from stroke to exercise and adhere to rehabilitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:50:49Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/179922 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:50:49Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1799222024-09-08T15:33:10Z Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study Lee, Edmund Wei Jian Tan, Warrick W. Pham, Ben Tan Phat Kawaja, Ariffin Theng, Yin-Leng Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet Ageing Research Institute for Society and Education Social Sciences Wearables Exergames Background: Digital health technologies have the potential to improve health outcomes for older adults, especially for those recovering from stroke. However, there are challenges to developing these technologies, such as data absenteeism (where older adults' views are often underrepresented in research and development) and technology chauvinism (the belief that sophisticated technology alone is the panacea to addressing health problems), which hinder their effectiveness. Objective: In this study, we aimed to address these challenges by developing a wearable glove integrated with culturally relevant exergames to motivate older adults to exercise and, for those recovering from stroke, to adhere to rehabilitation. Methods: We conducted a moderated usability study with 19 older adults, of which 11 (58%) had a history of stroke. Our participants engaged in a 30-minute gameplay session with the wearable glove integrated with exergames, followed by a quantitative survey and an in-depth interview. We used descriptive analysis to compare responses to the System Usability Scale between those who had a history of stroke and those who did not. In addition, we analyzed the qualitative interviews using a bottom-up thematic analysis to identify key themes related to the motivations and barriers regarding the use of wearable gloves for rehabilitation and exercise. Results: Our study generated several key insights. First, making the exergames exciting and challenging could improve exercise and rehabilitation motivation, but it could also have a boomerang effect, where participants may become demotivated if the games were very challenging. Second, the comfort and ease of use of the wearable gloves were important for older adults, regardless of their stroke history. Third, for older adults with a history of stroke, the functionality and purpose of the wearable glove were important in helping them with specific exercise movements. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of providing contextual support for the effective use of digital technologies, particularly for older adults recovering from stroke. In addition to technology and usability factors, other contextual factors such as gamification and social support (from occupational therapists or caregivers) should be considered to provide a comprehensive approach to addressing health problems. To overcome data absenteeism and technology chauvinism, it is important to develop digital health technologies that are tailored to the needs of underserved communities. Our study provides valuable insights for the development of digital health technologies that can motivate older adults recovering from stroke to exercise and adhere to rehabilitation. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Published version This study was supported by the Singapore Health Technologies Consortium (HealthTEC) under the National Research Foundation (021293-00001), Ministry of Education AcRF Tier 1 grant (RG38/22), and Social Science and Humanities Research Fellowship (SSRC2022-SSHR-006). 2024-09-03T01:48:14Z 2024-09-03T01:48:14Z 2024 Journal Article Lee, E. W. J., Tan, W. W., Pham, B. T. P., Kawaja, A. & Theng, Y. (2024). Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study. JMIR Serious Games, 12(1), e47600-. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/47600 2291-9279 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179922 10.2196/47600 38656778 2-s2.0-85191840883 1 12 e47600 en 021293-00001 RG38/22 SSRC2022-SSHR-006 JMIR Serious Games © Edmund W J Lee, Warrick W Tan, Ben Tan Phat Pham, Ariffin Kawaja, Yin-Leng Theng. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (https://games.jmir.org), 24.04.2024. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Serious Games, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://games.jmir.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Wearables Exergames Lee, Edmund Wei Jian Tan, Warrick W. Pham, Ben Tan Phat Kawaja, Ariffin Theng, Yin-Leng Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title | Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title_full | Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title_fullStr | Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title_short | Addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults: moderated usability study |
| title_sort | addressing data absenteeism and technology chauvinism in the use of gamified wearable gloves among older adults moderated usability study |
| topic | Social Sciences Wearables Exergames |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179922 |
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