Can smart home devices promote older adults' subjective markers of successful aging? A cohort study exploring potential mechanisms

BACKGROUND: As a form of gerontechnological innovation within the household environment, smart home devices are believed to have the potential to enhance older adults' wellbeing. However, few empirical studies have utilized nationwide cohort data to explore their associations with wellbeing, particularly in relation to successful aging. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms driving these associations are not yet fully understood. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), this study considered smart home devices as a form of positive living environment at the household level and explored their relationships with older adults' subjective markers of successful aging (life satisfaction and subjective age). DESIGN: A cohort sample of 8216 Chinese older adults (mean age = 71.26, SD = 6.51) was obtained from the 2020 wave of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed model. RESULTS: The results showed that smart home devices were significantly positively associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and a younger subjective age among older adults. Additionally, emotional, cognitive, and social functions mediated the relationships between smart home devices and both life satisfaction and subjective age. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that the ICF framework effectively elucidates the associations and mechanisms between smart home devices and subjective successful aging. Furthermore, this study offered practical implications for policymakers, product designers, and older adults in the development, design, and utilization of smart home devices to promote subjective successful aging.