Routine use of mobile health services in the presence of health consciousness

As digitization of health care evolves, mobile health (mHealth) becomes increasingly globally important. Mobile health service providers spend enormous effort and investment in mHealth service design and implementation to promote routine use. As the health consciousness of the public increases, it becomes difficult for both mHealth service providers and scholars to distinguish contributions of increased use. In this study, we integrate an individual's heath consciousness with the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to examine routine use intention and likelihood of opting-in to mHealth services. A survey with 270 subjects was conducted to test this research model and related hypotheses. Results confirm that mHealth service matching and source credibility influence routine use intention. Interestingly, health consciousness does not directly impact routine use intention but does strengthen the relationship with source credibility. However, there is no moderating effect with respect to mHealth service matching. Reasoning and implications for theory and practice are discussed.