Middle-aged and older adults’ acceptance of mobile nutrition and fitness tools: A qualitative typology

BACKGROUND: The utilization of mobile health (mHealth) devices such as nutrition and fitness tools seems to be promising in facilitating healthy lifestyle behaviors in middle-aged and older adults. As user acceptance plays a decisive role in the successful implementation of mHealth tools, it is vital to examine the target groups’ acceptance, particularly their usage behavior and attitudes toward these tools. This qualitative study aimed to explore how far middle-aged as well as older adults accept mobile nutrition and fitness tools and to identify facilitators and barriers shaping their acceptance. METHODS: Twenty-one qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with German adults aged 50 years and older. Data material was analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis (Kuckartz). RESULTS: A comprehensive acceptance typology with three acceptance types could be reconstructed: The Rejection Type, The Selective Acceptance Type, and The Comprehensive Acceptance Type. The target group's acceptance of mobile nutrition and fitness tools appeared to differ considerably across the three acceptance types and between the two different types of mHealth tools – with mobile nutrition tools having been less accepted. Among others, high levels of usability were identified as a key facilitator, while a desire for autonomy and privacy concerns showed to be prominent barriers. CONCLUSION: The resulting typology indicates a pronounced heterogeneity among middle-aged and older adults regarding their acceptance of mobile nutrition and fitness tools. The findings highlight a need for more individualized mHealth tools along with respective promotion strategies that are specifically tailored to the needs and expectations of middle-aged and older adults.