BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Human Factors and Digital Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1557590
This article is part of the Research TopicArtificial Intelligence in Aging: Innovations and Applications for Elderly CareView all 4 articles
The Evolution of Barriers and Facilitators to Using a COPD App Among Older Adults: Results from a Pilot Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Highmark Health, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- 2JSI Research & Training Institute (United States), Atlanta, United States
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Although older adults are more frequently adopting smartphone technologies, factors influencing decisions for uptake and continued use remain complex. This study explored how perceptions and use of a smartphone app changed from pre-adoption through initial use.Participants were interviewed before, during, and after being introduced to a COPD app to assess their experiences with and perceptions of the app over a four-month period.Prior to app introduction, participants reported technology, health behavior, and contextual barriers to engaging with health technology. After app introduction, many technology-based barriers lessened over time as participants became more familiar with the app. Other barriers, such as perceived lack of relevance and competing health and life concerns, remained as challenges to use.Results point to the need for apps that can cater to the diverse needs and other life challenges of older adults. Opportunities for assistance from technical support lines, family, friends, and/or community are required.
Keywords: mHealth, older adults, Chronic Disease, COPD, Technology
Received: 08 Jan 2025; Accepted: 27 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Brady, McCloud, Higgins, Mahesh, LeJeune, Black and Singh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rachel F McCloud, JSI Research & Training Institute (United States), Atlanta, United States
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