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Tell me what to do first: how behavioural skills drive users’ intention to adopt online health information

Zhenyi Tang (Department of Information Management, Peking University, Beijing, China)
Pengyi Zhang (Department of Information Management, Peking University, Beijing, China)
Yujia Li (Department of Information Management, Peking University, Beijing, China)
Preben Hansen (Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden)

The Electronic Library

ISSN: 0264-0473

Article publication date: 6 August 2024

Issue publication date: 23 September 2024

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Abstract

Purpose

To gain a deeper understanding of users’ health information adoption and to promote the effectiveness of health information spread in the context of online limited information, this paper aims to examine how the information-motivation-behavioural (IMB) skills model can be used to organize online health information by experimenting how different IMB elements (information, motivation and behavioural skills) affect users’ intention to adopt health information.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an experiment with 48 participants who received health articles with various combinations and sequences of IMB elements, analysing the impact on information adoption intention to share and practice. The authors also examined the mediation effect of information usefulness and the moderating effect of perceived health status.

Findings

The authors found that: users’ adoption intention of information was influenced by the order of used IMB elements, not the number of elements used; users were more likely to adopt information that started with behavioural skills rather than the model-prescribed IMB sequence; and perceived usefulness mediated the relationship between IMB elements and users’ adoption intention, which means users with different levels of health status all pay more attention to information usefulness and practicability.

Originality/value

The study contributes to research on health communication by showing how the IMB model can be applied online to enhance the effectiveness of health information dissemination. It can also help online health communities arrange more effective and engaging health messages to promote users’ willingness to adopt.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by NSFC Grant #7217040725. The authors would like to thank the participants for their time and valuable input. The authors also thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comprehensive feedback and suggestions to have significantly improved the quality and rigor of the manuscript.

Citation

Tang, Z., Zhang, P., Li, Y. and Hansen, P. (2024), "Tell me what to do first: how behavioural skills drive users’ intention to adopt online health information", The Electronic Library, Vol. 42 No. 5, pp. 811-826. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-12-2023-0296

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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