Technology Acceptance of Health-tracking Wearables Among University Students in Bangladesh: An Extended Technology Acceptance Model Study

Abstract

Wearable health technologies are increasingly being adopted for personal health monitoring and wellness management. However, the factors influencing university students’ acceptance and behavioral intention toward health-tracking wearable devices remain underexplored in developing countries such as Bangladesh. This study investigates the determinants of university students’ acceptance and behavioral intention toward health-tracking wearable devices using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 235 university students in Bangladesh using stratified random sampling. The study incorporated perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust, privacy concern, social influence, and health consciousness as predictor variables. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that perceived usefulness (β = 0.288, p < 0.001), perceived ease of use (β = 0.311, p < 0.001), social influence (β = 0.170, p = 0.002), and health consciousness (β = 0.166, p = 0.001) significantly influence attitude toward using health-tracking wearables, explaining 79.2% of the variance in attitude (R² = 0.792). Attitude significantly influences behavioral intention (β = 0.649, p < 0.001), explaining 42.1% of the variance in behavioral intention (R² = 0.421). Trust and privacy concerns were found to have no significant effect on attitude. The study highlights the importance of usability, perceived benefits, social influence, and health consciousness in shaping wearable technology adoption among university students. The findings contribute to wearable technology acceptance research and provide practical implications for wearable developers, marketers, university administrators, and health promotion initiatives in emerging economies.