Mobile Phone Use by the Elderly: Relationship between Usability, Social Activity, and the Environment

Juan Carlos Briede-Westermeyer, Bélgica Pacheco-Blanco, Marianela Luzardo-Briceño and Cristhian Pérez-Villalobos
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Juan Carlos Briede-Westermeyer: Department of Engineering Design, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida España 1680, 8320000 Valparaíso, Chile
Bélgica Pacheco-Blanco: Department of Engineering Projects, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n, E-46022 Valencia, Spain
Marianela Luzardo-Briceño: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana seccional Bucaramanga, Km. 7 vía a Piedecuesta, 681011 Floridablanca, Santander, Colombia
Cristhian Pérez-Villalobos: Department of Medical Education, Universidad de Concepción, Janequeo 151, 4070386 Concepción, Chile

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Mobile phones have caused diverging opinions regarding the change in communication patterns and the isolation among young people. However, in the case of the elderly, there are positive effects related to their use, their social activity, and their environmental awareness. This study connects these three variables beginning with the mobile telephone use by the elderly. A sample of 399 self-reliant elderly people was interviewed in Chile, where 159 had mobile phones. They answered the Usefulness, Satisfaction and Ease of Use Questionnaire (USE) and a series of questions about the environment and social life developed from previous studies. The results were analyzed using a multiple correspondence and correlation analysis. A high correlation between the three variables was found. Hence, a higher usability of mobile phones was associated with higher social activity and a higher environmental concern. These results showed that a design approach for the elderly could increase satisfaction regarding the use of a product and, as a result, improve communication with their social setting. From an environmental point of view, an indirect relationship was seen between the selection, use, and expectations of the end of life of the products.

Keywords: mobile phone; elderly; usability; social activity; environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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