The factors affecting older adults’ intention toward ongoing participation in virtual reality leisure activities

Abstract

Due to the aging of organs, older adults may have limited physical strength for participating in outdoor activities. Therefore, indoor activities offer an alternative for maintaining the health of older adults. Following advances in technology, individuals can use virtual reality to exercise in their homes and are no longer subject to the constraints of the outdoor environment or weather conditions. In addition, these activities are easier to participate in when compared to real-world leisure activities. The present research included 294 older adults as its research subjects. They were given firsthand experience of Wii games for 10 weeks, in order to examine the ongoing participation intention of older adults following an experience with virtual reality leisure activities. The study found that experience attributes, experience consequences, and experience values were important factors in determining ongoing participation intention and can effectively predict ongoing participation intention. Four experience attributes—ease of use, usefulness, safety and flexibility, and fun—significantly influenced the experience value and experience consequences of older adults’ participants. Experience values also influenced ongoing participation intention.