Smartphone and wearable monitor use and preferences among older adults

<bold>Introduction.</bold> Use of smartphones and wearable monitors has primarily been driven by younger consumers but use among older adults is less well known. <bold>Study Aim.</bold> The aim of this study is to determine smartphone and wearable monitor use/preferences among older adults with and without chronic disease. <bold>Methods.</bold> The study administered a survey to adults >60years of age attending a lung educational meeting, pulmonary rehabilitation or in senior communities located in Florida and Colorado. <bold>Results.</bold> The study enrolled 100 participants, of which 57% were female with a mean age of 74 years. Chronic illness included hypertension (54%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (32%), diabetes mellitus (21%) and congestive heart failure (12%). Overall, 93% have smartphones that are used to text (94%), send emails (92%) and download "Apps" (81%) with various degrees of frequency. Wearable monitors are currently used by 39% of participants, but a much higher percentage would be interested in using wearable monitors for health and wellness (89%) or to manage ongoing illness (86%). The preference for using a wearable monitor was 71% for a watch, 46% for a ring, 46% for a skin sensor and 36% for a clothing attachment. During sleep, the preference of use was 71% for a watch, 62% for a ring, 62% for a skin sensor and 49% for a clothing attachment. Some participants indicated that they would "never" use home monitoring to enhance health and wellness (5%) or for ongoing illness (4%). Associations with age, sex and chronic illness will be tested. <bold>Conclusions.</bold> Results indicate that a large proportion of older adults are willing and able to use smartphone technology and wearable monitors for health and disease management.