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The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the determinants of individuals’ attitude (ATT) and behavioural intention (BI) to use dietary and fitness mobile apps in the context of India.

The present study develops a conceptual model by incorporating additional variables such as health consciousness (HC), perceived trust (PT), social influence (SI) and personal innovativeness (PI) into the original technology acceptance model (TAM). These constructs were extracted from existing theories and literature on technology adoption, individuals’ health beliefs and personality traits. The conceptual model has been empirically tested and validated by applying structural equation modelling using STATA version 15. The data was collected from both potential and actual users of dietary and fitness mobile apps through a structured questionnaire, both online and manually. Following a convenience sampling approach, a total of 450 respondents from Delhi national capital region (NCR) were contacted, of which 264 valid responses were considered for final analysis.

The results revealed that of all the factors predicting individuals’ “attitude” towards the use of dietary and fitness apps, perceived usefulness was found to be the most significant followed by PI and PT. Similarly, behavioural “intention to use” was most strongly determined by an individual’s attitude towards the usage of dietary and fitness apps followed by SI.

Findings of the study offer meaningful insights and implications for academics and practitioners. Mobile app developers and service providers can gain an understanding of the consumer’s behaviour towards adoption of dietary and fitness apps and improve the app’s utility, service quality, interface and features in view of the empirically validated determinants of such behaviour. Furthermore, it is essential for the service providers to undertake promotional efforts to not only create awareness of the availability of such apps but also at the same time educate people on the needs, functionalities and utilities they offer. Also, to gain a wider acceptance of the apps, focus on more communication and gamification/ entertainment features is required.

This study adds value by identifying the factors from varied perspectives (technical, social, health and personal) impacting individuals’ attitude and BI to use an innovative health intervention i.e. dietary and fitness mobile apps in a developing economy. Furthermore, the study proved the robustness of extended TAM in the area of healthcare. Lastly, this paper is among the few papers in the Indian context that assessed the adoption of dietary and fitness mobile apps.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM) to consider an individual’s health consciousness (HC), thereby improving the capability of the model to predict an individual’s attitude toward and intention to download and use dietary and fitness apps.

A total of 994 participants completed a self-reported online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and χ² difference testing were conducted to compare the predictive capability of the proposed health consciousness TRAM (HC-TRAM) and the TRAM. The comparison of the proposed HC-TRAM in terms of potential and actual users of dietary and fitness apps was also discussed.

The results obtained from the HC-TRAM and the TRAM indicate that in addition to technology readiness, HC exerts a positive effect on the perceived ease of use and usefulness of dietary and fitness apps. χ² difference test results indicated that the predictive capability of the proposed HC-TRAM is higher than that of the TRAM.

The drivers and inhibitors of a person’s readiness to embrace modern information technology play roles when predicting his or her intention to download and use dietary and fitness apps. HC should be promoted by encouraging people to eat right and regularly perform appropriate exercise to prevent obesity and overweight, thereby maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

This study incorporated individual cognitive factors and HC into the TRAM to fill the literature gap and deepen and broaden existing theoretical frameworks of the TRAM in the public health sector.

The purpose of this study is to examine individuals' decisions to use health and fitness apps by applying the extended technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM), which combines technology readiness (TR), the technology acceptance model (TAM) and perceived enjoyment (PEN). Moreover, this study explores the differences between users and non-users regarding their intentions to use health and fitness apps.

Data collection (n = 206) was conducted using convenience sampling from four large universities in South Korea. The data were analysed by partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.0.

The results revealed that positive TR positively affects perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU) and PEN, while negative TR had a negative impact only on PEN. Furthermore, the significant relationships between PEOU, PU and PEN were identified. In addition, multigroup analyses indicated that the relationships between positive TR and PEN, between PEN and PEOU, between PEOU and PU, and between PU and behavioural intention were positively stronger for app users.

This study initially applied the TRAM to understand individuals' behavioural intentions to use health and fitness apps. Moreover, this study identified the distinct roles of positive and negative TR affecting individuals' cognition regarding using health and fitness apps. The differences in the psychological processes between app users and non-users offer insights and implications for practitioners.

This study replicates and extends the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) to explain the drivers of future use intention of fitness apps among users. It extends existing theory by investigating continuance usage and adding health consciousness as a driver; an extension, which has implications for future studies on emerging technologies in the health care sector and beyond.

Building on the UTAUT2, the author built a path model of future app-use intention. A survey involving 591 respondents from the United Kingdom was conducted, and the data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results of this study confirm that five drivers explain future use intention, namely habit, perceived playfulness, health consciousness, perceived performance and price value. These findings have implications for sports marketing theory and practice, as well as for policymakers, in that health consciousness is important for fitness app adoption, which in turn has repercussions for entire health care systems.

This study makes two main contributions. It extends technology acceptance theory by using a sample of users to explain future use intention of fitness apps and adds the construct health consciousness as a nontechnological element of the continuance usage of fitness apps to the model. The result is a path model that confirms the importance of personal health consciousness and potential generalizability to future health industry technologies with further implications for sports marketing management theory and practice.

This research aims to examine the effect of the two dimensions of technology readiness – motivator and inhibitor on behavioural intention to adopt a mobile agricultural finance app called e-AgriFinance app among the farmers in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Data were collected from 337 farmers who cultivated the 4 major crops in Sarawak – oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pepper using a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Collected data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling with R plspm package.

The research found that both motivator and inhibitor dimensions of technology readiness predicted the farmers’ behavioural intention to adopt the e-AgriFinance app, with the former had a relatively stronger positive effect and the latter had a relatively weaker negative effect.

This research was conducted in the context of rural farmers in an emerging economy. As such, modern farmers in developed countries may have different adoption behaviour of mobile agricultural finance app. The data were collected from farmers of the four major crops – oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pepper, and thus it may not be representative of the whole population of farmers in Sarawak.

This research served as one of the few studies that focused on the relationship between technology readiness and mobile app adoption among farmers from the perspective of an emerging economy.

The study aims to validate a mobile learning readiness scale through the technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM), thereby assessing students' readiness to adopt m-learning in teaching and learning, including its acceptance.

A structured questionnaire was administered to open and distance learning (ODL) students in Odisha, India, to assess their readiness and acceptance of m-learning. 665 valid responses were collected, and collected data was analysed using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) and SmartPLS.

The findings of the study reveal that optimism contributes positively to perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of m-learning (β = 7.921, p < 0.001; β = 2.123, p < 0.05), whereas innovativeness positively contributes to PEOU of m-learning (β = 2.227, p < 0.05), but not PU of m-learning. ODL student's optimism improves his/her PEOU and PU of m-learning, but innovativeness improves only his/her PEOU. Further, the impact of innovativeness is higher than that of optimism in the TRAM and innovativeness is the strong predictor to adopt m-learning. It also shows that the PU of m-learning positively influences behavioural intention to use m-learning (β = 4.757, p < 0.001). Integrating technology readiness (TR) with technology acceptance model (TAM) to predict students' acceptance of m-learning is very useful.

The paper will help decision-makers to adopt and use m-learning in higher educational institutions.

This paper is the first to explore the readiness and acceptance of m-learning in higher education in India.

This study aims to determine the impact of health-related views on mobile payment adoption in Sri Lanka from a broader viewpoint. The scale used to quantify each construct was based on earlier research, with modest alterations to fit the pandemic situation. First, an online survey was administered to undergraduates using convenience sampling to acquire appropriate replies. Eliminating incomplete and unusable questionnaires, 266 responses were gathered with an 88.7% response rate. Finally, after removing incomplete and ineffective questionnaires, 243 responses were selected for the analysis. Health consciousness, perceived ease of use, and usefulness have a significant positive relationship between attitude and behavioural intention to mobile payments. Moreover, the attitude has a significant positive relationship with mobile payment usage. As the health consciousness increases the usefulness and intention to use mobile payments, bank managers can focus on this new customer segment. Accordingly, they can use their promotional campaigns to highlight the importance of shifting towards m-payments during the pandemic times. This is the first study that investigates the role of health-related perceptions on the mobile payment adoption in Sri Lanka to the best of the authors’ knowledge.

This study, anchored in Self-Determination Theory, explores the paradoxical effects of gamification on digital health promotion, focusing on user engagement, physical activity adherence, stress levels and social dynamics.

In a preregistered experimental design, participants interacted with one of three fitness apps: a non-gamified control app, a competition-based gamified app (GameFit) or a self-exploration-based gamified app (ExploreFit). Quantitative data were collected through scales measuring key variables, and qualitative insights were gathered from structured diaries.

Gamification significantly enhanced user engagement and physical activity adherence. However, competition-based gamification also increased stress and negative social dynamics, with gender-specific effects: females experienced higher stress and males encountered more negative social dynamics. These adverse effects were mitigated in the ExploreFit group, suggesting that self-exploration elements in gamification can reduce negative outcomes.

This research offers a comprehensive analysis of the complex interplay between gamification, competition, self-exploration and health outcomes. It provides valuable insights for the design of persuasive technologies, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to gamification that considers both its benefits and potential pitfalls.

As fitness apps have integrated gamification elements into their design to transform exercise into a compelling and competitive experience, this study draws on the expectation confirmation model (ECM) and self-determination theory (SDT) to propose a comprehensive framework for sustained usage by satisfying the psychological needs of users.

A longitudinal study design is utilized where data from 598 fitness app users were gathered over two distinct phases separated by 24 weeks, where data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The findings until phase 1 depict that motivational affordances significantly affect mastery, autonomy and relatedness, which in turn exert a significant influence on flow. Identification and compliance have a more pronounced effect in phase 2 compared to stage 1 of the analysis.

Individuals are more prone to being swayed by fellow members of their social group who share an affiliation with fitness apps, leading them to sustain their usage of fitness apps. These insights can potentially guide app developers and marketers in formulating strategies based on modifiable factors to foster sustained growth for gamified fitness apps.

This study takes a novel stance by employing social impact theory (SIT) in a longitudinal setting to reveal how users react to identification and compliance effects during initial and post-adoption usage of gamified fitness apps.

This study aimed to explore consumers' continuance intention to use a fitness and health app by applying two theoretical models: the expectation–confirmation model (ECM) and the investment model (IM).

An online survey was administered to consumers who are currently using fitness and health apps (N = 342). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using Amos 22.0 software to examine the hypothesized relationships in the research model.

Results revealed that users' continuance intention was significantly predicted by the two models. Within the ECM, the positive and significant relationships among variables were found. Moreover, users' satisfaction and investment size had positive impacts on their commitment, which, in turn, positively affected the intention. Also, confirmation of expectations had a positive impact on investment size.

The integrated model helps better understand fitness and health app users' decision-making process from the perspective of relationship commitment and suggests practical implications for health and fitness app providers.