Journal Article

Evaluating the predictors of mobile health acceptance among Zimbabwean university students during the COVID-19 era: an integrated framework

Jaravaza, Divaries Cosmas, Dangaiso, Phillip, Mukucha, Paul

2024

Overview

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or popularly the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought significant public health challenges globally. During the crisis, mobile health (m-health) services were implemented to expedite fast, convenient and reliable dissemination of health information to the public. Meanwhile, the adoption of m-health faced high uncertainty alike other COVID-19 regulatory methods. This study examines the antecedents of m-health acceptance among Zimbabwean university students. Whilst research on m-health adoption during the pandemic is still scarce, this study becomes the first to integrate the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict m-health adoption in a developing country. An explanatory design and a quantitative research approach were employed. Based on 271 valid responses, Structural Equation Modelling was used to estimate the proposed model. The findings revealed the positive effect of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, attitudes, behavioral norms, perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention to adopt m-health with a higher R square value (80.4%) than the original UTAUT model. The study also confirmed the positive influence of behavioral intention on m-health usage (R square = 41.5%). Health promoters were urged to design messages that stimulate positive attitudes, appeal to social groupings and improve user's self-efficacy. M-health services should also foster use simplicity, ease of use and health value to entice m-health adoption among consumers. The study also provides an important baseline for the integration of behavioral theoretical models to enhance their predictive strength.

• Publisher: Cogent,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Taylor & Francis Group
• Subject: Acceptance / Adoption / Adoption of innovations / Attitudes / College students / Consumers / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Dissemination / effort expectancy / facilitating conditions / Health behavior / Health education / Health information / Health services / Information dissemination / Komalsingh Rambaree, Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden / Locus of control / Management of IT; Consumer Psychology; Business, Management and Accounting; Sociology & Social Policy / Mental health services / Mobile health acceptance / Pandemics / perceived behavioral control / Perceived control / performance expectancy / Prediction models / Public health / Quantitative analysis / Research design / Self-efficacy / Severe acute respiratory syndrome / Simplicity / Social factors / Structural equation modeling / subjective norms / Telemedicine / Theory of planned behavior / Uncertainty / University students / Value / Viruses