Complementary relationships between traditional media and health apps among american college students

Effects of a video intervention on physicians' acceptance of pain apps: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

The aim of our study was to determine and enhance physicians' acceptance, performance expectancy and credibility of health apps for chronic pain patients. We further investigated predictors of acceptance.

DESIGN

Randomised experimental trial with a parallel-group repeated measures design.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

248 physicians working in various, mainly outpatient settings in Germany.

INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME

Physicians were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (short video about health apps) or a control group (short video about chronic pain). Primary outcome measure was acceptance. Performance expectancy and credibility of health apps were secondary outcomes. In addition, we assessed 101 medical students to evaluate the effectiveness of the video intervention in young professionals.

RESULTS

In general, physicians' acceptance of health apps for chronic pain patients was moderate (M=9.51, SD=3.53, scale ranges from 3 to 15). All primary and secondary outcomes were enhanced by the video intervention: A repeated-measures analysis of variance yielded a significant interaction effect for acceptance (F(1, 246)=15.28, p=0.01), performance expectancy (F(1, 246)=6.10, p=0.01) and credibility (F(1, 246)=25.61, p<0.001). The same pattern of results was evident among medical students. Linear regression analysis revealed credibility (β=0.34, p<0.001) and performance expectancy (β=0.30, p<0.001) as the two strongest factors influencing acceptance, followed by scepticism (β=-0.18, p<0.001) and intuitive appeal (β=0.11, p=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Physicians' acceptance of health apps was moderate, and was strengthened by a 3 min video. Besides performance expectancy, credibility seems to be a promising factor associated with acceptance. Future research should focus on ways to implement acceptability-increasing interventions into routine care.

Game not over: Explaining older adults' use and intention to continue using a gamified eHealth service

BACKGROUND

Gamification within eHealth services can increase eHealth adoption. However, little is known about factors affecting adoption of gamified eHealth among older adults. In this study, we sought to explain the (continued) use of a gamified eHealth service among older adults (55+).

METHODS

Participants used a gamified eHealth service, focusing on falls prevention, for 4 weeks and completed a post-test questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model. We used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to analyse our data.

RESULTS

Seventy-two older adults participated with a mean age of 65.1 years (SD = 7.0). Our results show that first, perceived ease of use affected use of the service (use duration: β = 0.303, R² = 0.130, and use frequency: β = 0.304, R² = 0.107). Second, perceived usefulness affected the intention to continue using the service (β = 0.754, R² = 0.640). Third, use of the service did not predict the intention to continue using it. Furthermore, enjoyment affected perceived usefulness (β = 0.783, R² = 0.563) and aesthetics affected perceived ease of use (β = 0.634, R² = 0.652).

CONCLUSIONS

This study refutes the expected relation between use and intention to continue use a gamified eHealth service. Additionally, we learned that using theoretical approaches focusing on technology acceptance, are not suitable for explaining (continued) use of gamified eHealth services.

Proposing a mobile apps acceptance model for users in the health area: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Due to rapid advancements in the field of information and communication technologies, mobile health (mHealth) has become a significant topic in the delivery of healthcare. Despite the perceived advantages and the large number of mHealth initiatives, the success of mHealth ultimately relies on whether these initiatives are used; their benefits will be diminished should people not use them. Previous literature has found that the adoption of mHealth by users is not yet widespread, and little research has been conducted on this problem. Therefore, this study identifies the antecedents of the intention to use mHealth and proposes a general model that might prove beneficial in explaining the acceptance of mHealth. The authors performed a quantitative meta-analysis of 49 journal papers published over the past 10 years and systematically reviewed the evidence regarding the most commonly identified factors that may affect the acceptance of mHealth. The findings indicate that the proposed model includes the seven most commonly used relationships in the selected articles. More specifically, the model assumes that perceived usefulness positively affects perceived ease of use and user behavioral intention to use mHealth is commonly influenced by five factors: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and facilitating conditions. The results of this work provide important insights into the predictors of mHealth acceptance for future researchers and practitioners.

Understanding and Predicting the Adoption of Fitness Mobile Apps: Evidence from China

Increasing global interest in diet and fitness mobile applications (apps) has prompted the question: What are the factors affecting users' adoption and usage behaviors on a specific fitness app? By combining the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) with the health belief model (HBM), and including risk perception of information technology with the farsighted planner and myopic doer from the theory of self-control, we explore the understanding of this academic question. We analyzed data from 8,840 users of Boohee, a diet and fitness app (ranked first in the weight-loss category on the App Store in China). Structural equation modeling revealed that self-efficacy as well as the perceived benefits, barriers, and threats of weight loss significantly influence a fitness app's performance expectancy, which, in turn, predicts users' intention to adopt it. Furthermore, actual usage behavior (i.e., diet, exercise, weight, and login records within 30 days after respondents completed the questionnaire) is positively affected by weight-loss intention and behavioral intention to use the app and negatively affected by users' risk perception. The main findings of this research could help healthcare practitioners and app developers find better ways to encourage people to adopt health apps for various reasons. App developers should attach more importance to users' actual continuous use behavior than to their intention to use an app. They should provide sufficient introductory information about their apps, thereby reducing users' risk perception and generating reasonable performance expectancy of the app, so as to improve users' actual continuous use behavior.

Influencing Factors of Acceptance and Use Behavior of Mobile Health Application Users: Systematic Review

Purpose/Significance: Mobile health applications provide a convenient way for users to obtain health information and services. Studying the factors that influence users’ acceptance and use of mobile health applications (apps or Apps) will help to improve users’ actual usage behavior. Method/Process: Based on the literature review method and using the Web of Science core database as the data source, this paper summarizes the relevant research results regarding the influencing factors of the acceptance and use behavior of mobile health application users and makes a systematic review of the influencing factors from the perspectives of the individual, society, and application (app or App) design. Result/Conclusion: In terms of the individual dimension, the users’ behavior is influenced by demographic characteristics and motivations. Social attributes, source credibility, and legal issues all affect user behavior in the social dimension. In the application design dimension, functionality, perceived ease of use and usefulness, security, and cost are the main factors. At the end of the paper, suggestions are given to improve the users’ acceptability of mobile health applications and improve their use behavior.

Development of a Chatbot Program for Follow-Up Management of Workers' General Health Examinations in Korea: A Pilot Study

(1) Background: Follow-up management of workers’ general health examination (WGHE) is important, but it is not currently well done. Chatbot, a type of digital healthcare tool, is used in various medical fields but has never been developed for follow-up management of WGHE in Korea. (2) Methods: The database containing results and explanations related to WGHE was constructed. Then, the channel, which connects users with the database was created. A user survey regarding effectiveness was administered to 23 healthcare providers. Additionally, interviews on applicability for occupational health services were conducted with six nurses in the agency of occupational health management. (3) Results: Chatbot was implemented on a small scale on the Amazon cloud service (AWS) EC2 using KaKaoTalk and Web Chat as user channels. Regarding the effectiveness, 21 (91.30%) rated the need for chatbots as very high; however, 11 (47.83%) rated the usability as not high. Of the 23 participants, 14 (60.87%) expressed overall satisfaction. Nurses appreciated the chatbot program as a method for resolving accessibility and as an aid for explaining examination results and follow-up management. (4) Conclusions: The effectiveness of WGHE and the applicability in the occupational health service of the chatbot program for follow-up management can be confirmed.

Characteristics of and Factors Influencing College Nursing Students' Willingness to Utilize mHealth for Health Promotion

More than half of practicing nurses have suboptimal physical or mental health. Impaired health is associated with a 76% higher likelihood that nurses will make medical errors. Improving the health habits of nursing students is essential to shaping and sustaining health prior to joining the workforce. Technology such as mobile health applications holds great promise in facilitating behavioral change and encouraging healthy habits in nursing students. Identifying the predictors of willingness to use mobile health is essential to creating mobile health applications that will engage nursing students and promote sustainable usage. Evaluation of psychological, attitudinal, and health-related correlates of mobile health can highlight predictors of willingness to use mobile health, which can influence nursing students' utilization and long-term engagement with mobile health applications. Analysis of these correlates shows that psychological attributes, such as hope, play a role in the willingness to use and may facilitate engagement in the utilization of a mobile health application. Development of a mobile health application that increases hope and helps establish healthy habits may enable nursing students to remain healthy throughout their lives, creating a new generation of happier, healthier nurses and, ultimately, improving safety for patients under their care.

A Replication of Channel Complementarity Theory among Internet Users in India

This article examined channel complementarity in health information seeking among Internet users in India. It posited that online users complementarily use different channels to search for health information. Based on the existing literature, it suggested that age is an important moderator of different channels as health information sources. Data regarding the consumption of 11 different channels were collected from nearly 1,000 Internet users. The results demonstrated complementary use of different channels as health information sources in relationship to the Internet as a health information source, except for newspapers and family members. Moreover, not supporting our hypothesis regarding the sources of health information among online users, the Internet was surprisingly not the primary source of health information, being shadowed by the predominant and significantly greater use of newspapers as sources of health information among online users in India. Extending the theory of channel complementarity, we found that age is an important moderator of complementary relationships among various channels as health information sources, demonstrating that younger users were more likely to use greater numbers of channels complementarily as compared to older users. Contributions to channel complementarity and implications of research are discussed on the basis of the findings.

A review of theory-driven models of trust in the online health context

Generally speaking, theory-driven studies are more successful in producing a desired result than those missing the theoretical grounds. This paper aims to provide an informal assessment of theoretical foundations of trust models in online health context. After a review of literature, 12 theory-driven models were analysed in detail. The findings showed that previous models benefited from different theories within different disciplines (mostly from psychology). The technology acceptance model, the elaboration likelihood model, the theory of reasoned action and the health belief model were the most frequently used theoretical frameworks. The reviewed models were able to account for 23–69% of variance in dependent variables. In conclusion, although the health studies are very open to interdisciplinary theories, the inclusion of institutional and national cultural theories in future researches may enrich the current individualistic perspective with a broader context of society that jointly form trust behaviour and credibility judgements of health consumers in digital health environments.