Burford Katie, Golaszewski Natalie M, Bartholomew John
Michael Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States.
Digit Health. 2021 Nov 20;7:20552076211054922. doi: 10.1177/20552076211054922. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.
Wearable activity trackers hold potential as a research tool to increase physical activity. However, long-term wearable adherence is low among users, which may be due to the limited understanding of the factors related to use and relation to health behavior theory. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the perceptions of wearables among active adult users and non-users. Findings will inform potential barriers and facilitators for the adherence and adoption of wearables through the application of the Self-Determination Theory.
Six focus groups were conducted and equally stratified to wearable users ( = 10) and non-users ( = 10). Data were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an iterative approach creating first-level codes. This was followed by developing second-level codes that allowed for generating themes.
For users, the wearables' feedback provided them with validation, a sense of achievement, and other-determined motivation. Users appreciated the functionality of wearables, particularly with simpler and newer models. They also reported improvements in health behaviors While both users and non-users had a general positive feeling towards wearables, they held similar concerns about cost, guilt, dependency, and accuracy. Non-users were unique in their concerns for materialism and functionality (i.e. ease of use and charge) associated with wearables. They also seemed to be more intrinsically motivated to be physically active by relying less on external sources of motivation as potentially provided by wearables.
Findings show that while both adult users and non-users held positive perceptions of wearables and concerns for feelings of guilt and dependency, widespread adoption and adherence may be prevented by differences in motivation for physical activity and concerns for cost, materialism, and functionality.
可穿戴活动追踪器作为一种增加身体活动的研究工具具有潜力。然而，用户长期佩戴可穿戴设备的依从性较低，这可能是由于对与使用相关的因素以及与健康行为理论的关系了解有限。本研究的目的是定性探索活跃成年用户和非用户对可穿戴设备的看法。研究结果将通过应用自我决定理论，为可穿戴设备的依从性和采用的潜在障碍及促进因素提供信息。
进行了六个焦点小组讨论，并将参与者平均分为可穿戴设备用户（n = 10）和非用户（n = 10）。数据进行了音频录制、转录，并采用迭代方法进行分析，创建一级代码。随后开发二级代码以生成主题。
对于用户而言，可穿戴设备的反馈为他们提供了确认感、成就感和外部决定的动机。用户欣赏可穿戴设备的功能，尤其是更简单和更新的型号。他们还报告了健康行为的改善。虽然用户和非用户对可穿戴设备总体上都有积极的感觉，但他们对成本、内疚感、依赖性和准确性也有类似的担忧。非用户对与可穿戴设备相关的物质主义和功能（即易用性和充电）有独特的担忧。他们似乎也更有内在动力进行身体活动，较少依赖可穿戴设备可能提供的外部动机来源。
研究结果表明，虽然成年用户和非用户对可穿戴设备都有积极的看法，并对内疚感和依赖性有所担忧，但身体活动动机的差异以及对成本、物质主义和功能的担忧可能会阻碍可穿戴设备的广泛采用和依从性。
