Social Acceptance of Mobile Health among Young Adults in Japan: An Extension of the UTAUT Model

Jianfei Cao, Karin Kurata, Yeongjoo Lim, Shintaro Sengoku and Kota Kodama ()
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Jianfei Cao: Graduate School of Technology Management, Ritsumeikan University, Ibaraki 567-8570, Japan
Karin Kurata: Graduate School of Corporate Business, Ritsumeikan University, Ibaraki 567-8570, Japan
Yeongjoo Lim: Graduate School of Corporate Business, Ritsumeikan University, Ibaraki 567-8570, Japan
Shintaro Sengoku: School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
Kota Kodama: Graduate School of Technology Management, Ritsumeikan University, Ibaraki 567-8570, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: The unprecedented development of information and communication technologies has opened up immense possibilities in the field of health care. Mobile health (mHealth) is gaining increasing attention as an important technology for solving health-related problems. Although a high rate of smartphone usage among young people in Japan has been identified, smartphone usage for health management is not high. As Japanese youth are important potential users of mHealth, it is necessary to explore theories that influence the behavioral intention of Japanese youth to adopt mHealth. This study conducted a questionnaire survey in a Japanese university and collected 233 valuable responses. This study was adapted and extended from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to measure eight constructs: health consciousness, social influence, facilitation conditions, perceived risk, trust, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and behavioral intention. Structural equation modeling was used for hypothesis testing. We found that trust, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy directly influenced the behavioral intention to use mHealth. Health consciousness and social influence indirectly influence behavioral intention through trust and performance expectancy. Facilitation conditions indirectly influenced behavioral intention through effort expectancy. This study makes a vital theoretical contribution to policymakers and product developers for the further diffusion of mHealth among young people in Japan.

Keywords: mHealth; health consciousness; UTAUT model; Japanese young adults; mobile health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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