The Impact of Health Communication Competence towards Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) in Health Information Sharing among Internet Users in Malaysia

Nur Athirah Sumardi, Putri Arissa Balqis Ab Llah, Syarifah Mastura Syed Abu Bakar, Narehan Hassan and Natasha Dzulkalnine

Information Management and Business Review, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 642-650

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered daily activities, with Malaysians increasingly relying on the internet for various tasks, such as e-commerce and booking health appointments. This descriptive study applied a cross-sectional approach to explore the relationship between health communication competence and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) among internet users in Malaysia. A total of 400 respondents, selected through quota sampling from four regions, completed a questionnaire divided into three sections: demographic background, health communication competence, and e-WOM. The findings indicated that Malaysian internet users possess fair health communication competence. Correlational analysis showed significant relationships between health communication competence—specifically adherence, critical and participative communication, and active disease-related communication—and e-WOM. However, multiple regression analysis identified critical and participative communication as the strongest predictor of e-WOM in health information sharing. The research met its three objectives and supported all four hypotheses, contributing valuable insights to a previously under-researched area and offering a foundation for future exploration of these variables.

Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rnd:arimbr:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:642-650

DOI: 10.22610/imbr.v16i3S(I)a.4157

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