PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Digital inclusion is considered a pivotal social determinant of health, particularly for older adults who may face significant barriers to digital access due to physical, sensory, and social limitations. Avatar for Global Access to Technology for Healthy Aging (AGATHA) is a virtual healthy aging coach developed by the World Health Organization to address these challenges. Designed as a comprehensive virtual coach, AGATHA comprises a gamified platform that covers multiple health-related topics and modules aimed at fostering user engagement and promoting healthy aging.
The aim of this study was to explore the perception and user experience of Malaysian older adults in their interactions with the AGATHA app and its avatar. The focus of this study was to examine the engagement, usability, and educational impact of the app on health literacy and digital skills.
We performed a qualitative study among adults 60 years and older from suburban and rural communities across six states in Malaysia. Participants were purposefully recruited to ensure representation across various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Each participant attended a 1-hour training session to familiarize themselves with the interface and functionalities of AGATHA. Subsequently, all participants were required to engage with the AGATHA app two to three times per week for up to 2 weeks. Upon completion of this trial phase, an in-depth interview session was conducted to gather detailed feedback on their experiences.
Overall, the participants found AGATHA to be highly accessible and engaging. The content was reported to have a comprehensive structure and was delivered in an easily understandable and informative manner. Moreover, the participants found the app to be beneficial in enhancing their understanding pertaining to health-related issues in aging. Some key feedback gathered highlighted the need for increased interactive features that would allow for interaction with peers, better personalization of content tailored to the individual\'s health condition, and improvement in the user-experience design to accommodate older users\' specific needs. Furthermore, enhancements in decision-support features within the app were suggested to better assist users in making health decisions.
The prototype digital health coaching program AGATHA was well received as a user-friendly tool suitable for beginners, and was also perceived to be useful to enhance older adults\' digital literacy and confidence. The findings of this study offer important insights for designing other digital health tools and interventions targeting older adults, highlighting the importance of a user-centered design and personalization to improve the adoption of digital health solutions among older adults. This study also serves as a useful starting point for further development and refinement of digital health programs aimed at fostering an inclusive, supportive digital environment for older adults.
The aim of this study was to explore the perception and user experience of Malaysian older adults in their interactions with the AGATHA app and its avatar. The focus of this study was to examine the engagement, usability, and educational impact of the app on health literacy and digital skills.
We performed a qualitative study among adults 60 years and older from suburban and rural communities across six states in Malaysia. Participants were purposefully recruited to ensure representation across various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Each participant attended a 1-hour training session to familiarize themselves with the interface and functionalities of AGATHA. Subsequently, all participants were required to engage with the AGATHA app two to three times per week for up to 2 weeks. Upon completion of this trial phase, an in-depth interview session was conducted to gather detailed feedback on their experiences.
Overall, the participants found AGATHA to be highly accessible and engaging. The content was reported to have a comprehensive structure and was delivered in an easily understandable and informative manner. Moreover, the participants found the app to be beneficial in enhancing their understanding pertaining to health-related issues in aging. Some key feedback gathered highlighted the need for increased interactive features that would allow for interaction with peers, better personalization of content tailored to the individual\'s health condition, and improvement in the user-experience design to accommodate older users\' specific needs. Furthermore, enhancements in decision-support features within the app were suggested to better assist users in making health decisions.
The prototype digital health coaching program AGATHA was well received as a user-friendly tool suitable for beginners, and was also perceived to be useful to enhance older adults\' digital literacy and confidence. The findings of this study offer important insights for designing other digital health tools and interventions targeting older adults, highlighting the importance of a user-centered design and personalization to improve the adoption of digital health solutions among older adults. This study also serves as a useful starting point for further development and refinement of digital health programs aimed at fostering an inclusive, supportive digital environment for older adults.
摘要：
背景：数字包容被认为是健康的关键社会决定因素，特别是对于老年人，他们可能由于身体原因而面临数字访问的重大障碍，感官,和社会限制。全球健康老龄化技术（AGATHA）头像是世界卫生组织为应对这些挑战而开发的虚拟健康老龄化教练。设计成一个全面的虚拟教练，AGATHA包括一个游戏化平台，涵盖多个与健康相关的主题和模块，旨在促进用户参与和促进健康老龄化。
目的：这项研究的目的是探索马来西亚老年人在与AGATHA应用程序及其头像互动中的感知和用户体验。这项研究的重点是检查参与，可用性，以及该应用程序对健康素养和数字技能的教育影响。
方法：我们对马来西亚六个州的郊区和农村社区的60岁及以上的成年人进行了定性研究。有意招募参与者，以确保代表各种社会经济和文化背景。每个参与者都参加了1小时的培训课程，以熟悉AGATHA的界面和功能。随后，要求所有参与者每周使用AGATHA应用程序2~3次,最长2周.在这个试验阶段完成后，进行了深入的访谈，以收集有关他们经历的详细反馈。
结果：总体而言，参与者发现AGATHA是高度可访问和参与。据报道，该内容具有全面的结构，并以易于理解和提供信息的方式提供。此外，参与者发现该应用程序有助于增强他们对衰老中与健康相关问题的理解。收集的一些关键反馈强调需要增加交互式功能，以便与同行进行交互，更好地个性化适合个人健康状况的内容，以及用户体验设计的改进，以适应老年用户的特定需求。此外，建议在应用程序中增强决策支持功能，以更好地帮助用户做出健康决策。
结论：原型数字健康教练程序AGATHA作为一种适合初学者的用户友好工具而广受好评，也被认为是有用的，以提高老年人的数字素养和信心。这项研究的结果为设计其他针对老年人的数字健康工具和干预措施提供了重要的见解。强调以用户为中心的设计和个性化的重要性，以改善老年人对数字健康解决方案的采用。这项研究也是进一步发展和完善数字健康计划的有用起点，旨在促进包容性，支持老年人的数字环境。
目的：这项研究的目的是探索马来西亚老年人在与AGATHA应用程序及其头像互动中的感知和用户体验。这项研究的重点是检查参与，可用性，以及该应用程序对健康素养和数字技能的教育影响。
方法：我们对马来西亚六个州的郊区和农村社区的60岁及以上的成年人进行了定性研究。有意招募参与者，以确保代表各种社会经济和文化背景。每个参与者都参加了1小时的培训课程，以熟悉AGATHA的界面和功能。随后，要求所有参与者每周使用AGATHA应用程序2~3次,最长2周.在这个试验阶段完成后，进行了深入的访谈，以收集有关他们经历的详细反馈。
结果：总体而言，参与者发现AGATHA是高度可访问和参与。据报道，该内容具有全面的结构，并以易于理解和提供信息的方式提供。此外，参与者发现该应用程序有助于增强他们对衰老中与健康相关问题的理解。收集的一些关键反馈强调需要增加交互式功能，以便与同行进行交互，更好地个性化适合个人健康状况的内容，以及用户体验设计的改进，以适应老年用户的特定需求。此外，建议在应用程序中增强决策支持功能，以更好地帮助用户做出健康决策。
结论：原型数字健康教练程序AGATHA作为一种适合初学者的用户友好工具而广受好评，也被认为是有用的，以提高老年人的数字素养和信心。这项研究的结果为设计其他针对老年人的数字健康工具和干预措施提供了重要的见解。强调以用户为中心的设计和个性化的重要性，以改善老年人对数字健康解决方案的采用。这项研究也是进一步发展和完善数字健康计划的有用起点，旨在促进包容性，支持老年人的数字环境。
