Our new research explores how Cornwall’s social housing residents use digital technology that aims to improve health and wellbeing.

The findings uncover that people want and need to use technology to improve health, wellbeing and to feel socially connected. These insights are helping to inform Smartline’s training and support projects, while informing future research that aims to scope the feasibility and acceptability of digital technology.

What did the research involve?

Our research team, led by Dr Sarah Buckingham, Dr Tim Walker, and Professor Karyn Morrissey, carried out qualitative focus groups and telephone interviews with 23 people living in social housing. Participants’ self-perceived digital competence varied widely - ranging from ‘willing and unable’ to ‘expert’.

What did we find?

Overall, people had positive perceptions and shared a willingness to try new technology. The participants preferred technologies which promoted a healthy lifestyle, helped them to access health information, and increased social connections, like wearable activity monitors (e.g. Fitbit), virtual assistants (e.g. Alexa), and social messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp).

Tim Walker, Smartline Research Fellow, said: “Social influence was an important factor to using technology with the majority of participants seeking help from family and friends. The group also shared a strong consensus that technology should be easy to use and should have a clear purpose.”

Different barriers to using technology

Although views of technology were generally positive, participants reported a number of barriers that prevented or discouraged them from using technology. We grouped these factors into five categories:

1. Functional barriers (e.g. internet connection and affordability)

2. Physical and mental health (e.g. fitness, mobility, memory and sensory impairments)

3. Psychological barriers (e.g. low confidence, motivation and previous bad experiences)

4. Technology-associated barriers (e.g. how user-friendly and accessible the technology is)

5. Privacy, safety and security (e.g. concerns about fraud, scams and internet mistrust)

We also received feedback that there is a need to improve awareness, knowledge and confidence in technology use and people said they would be interested in further training and support.

So what’s next?

Despite the participants’ limited knowledge and awareness of different types of technologies, there was an agreement across the focus groups and interviews that technology has many potential benefits for improving health and wellbeing.

This study provides a strong foundation for the co-creation of new digital interventions and we’re already using the findings to inform and shape our Getting Online: Staying Connected project in collaboration with Cornwall Council.

Read the full article online here.

Citation: Sarah Ann Buckingham, Tim Walker, Karyn Morrissey, The feasibility and acceptability of digital technology for health and wellbeing in social housing residents in Cornwall: A qualitative scoping study, Digital Health, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221074124