![](bg5.png)
al. 2009). The data was quite large. However the
non-response rate was over 50%. The main focuses
of the questionnaire were the use of the new
technical units (e.g., desktop computers, portable
computers, hand-held computers, communicators,
internet, mobile phones, electronic marketplaces/
commerce and teletext) and physical/mental
symptoms. We asked many questions of the
participants’ know-how regarding new technology.
Therefore, we cannot make any strong conclusions
from the data. In addition, this questionnaire data is
about 10 years old, which is a long time in consumer
technology. For example, the use of the internet has
increased in all age groups. However, there can still
be differences between different groups. Typically,
young persons are more active in using new
technology.
In general, about 30% of all participants used
desktop computers daily, and 16% of all know the
desktop computer very well. Figures 3-8 show that
younger persons and persons who typically use
computers at work know desktop computers better
than others. This is easy to understand. However, it
is important to remember, when new well-being
technology or technology as part of treatment will be
developed, that older persons and persons outside of
working life are not always experts in the use of
technology. On the other side, older persons are
typically persons who need medical treatment and
the technology developed for the well-being area.
Figures 6-9 show that persons who self-reported
depression or sleep disorders / disturbances are as
familiar as others with desktop computers and show
in practise no difference. So those symptoms are not
relevant in the development of the new well-being
technology.
5 CONCLUSIONS
The daily use of desktop computers of all
participants was about 30% at leisure in all the data,
and 16% know desktop computers very well. To the
question ‘how well do you know the desktop
computer?’, 22% of the age group 20-30 answered
very well and 19.1% of the age group 31-40 also
answered very well. In age group 41-50, the value
was 15.7%, and in the 51-60 age group, the value
was 10.6%. Altogether, 11% of the participants
outside working life know desktop computers very
well. In the future, it is important to take into
account that older people do not know as much
about ICT as younger people, and it can influence
the use of the new well-being technology.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The assistance of the staff (Noomi Suuronen, Jari
Latva-Teikari and Riitta Lehtelä) of the
Environmental Health group, Tampere University of
Technology, is gratefully acknowledged.
REFERENCES
Finnish Statistics office, 2008. 2. Still more adult use
computers. (in Finnish) http:// www.stat.fi/til/aku/
2006/03/aku_2006_03_2008-06-03_kat_002_fi.html
[Last updated 3 June 2008]
Finnish Statistics office, 2007. Internet used by 79 per cent
of the population at the beginning of 2007.
http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007
_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html [Last updated 28.
September 2007].
Korpinen, L., Suuronen, N., Latva-Teikari, J., Pääkkönen,
R., 2009. Questionnaire on the health effects of new
technical equipment. International Journal of
Industrial, Ergonomics 39, 105–114.
Korpinen, L., Pääkkönen, R., 2010. Self-reported use of
ICT (Information and communication technology)
uptake in 2002 and discomfort amongst Finns aged
45–66, Applied Ergonomics 42, 85–90.
NEUROTECHNIX2014-InternationalCongressonNeurotechnology,ElectronicsandInformatics
60