Factors motivating end-users’ behavioural intention to recommend m-health innovation: multi-group analysis

Abstract

mHealth innovation is health innovation that is gaining adoption in developing countries. The COVID-19 impact and the brain drain of health practitioners in Nigeria are indicating higher importance of the innovation. However, while the literatures on adoption are rising there is paucity of literature on intention to recommend mHealth innovation particularly with gender context. The study considered determinants of end-users’ behavioural intention to recommend mHealth innovation by considering multi-group analysis. Theory of reasoned action was modified with variables from health belief model and unified theory of acceptance and use of innovation to structure the intention to recommend mHealth model. Structured questionnaire with adapted items from extant studies were scaled on 7 point likert scale while snowball sampling technique was adopted in data collection. A total of 291 questionnaires were used in the analysis which was done through IBM Statistics version 23 and AMOS 23. The study used descriptive statistics, structural equation model and an invariant analysis to check the difference between the groups. The model showed good fit using a set of fit indices and coefficient of codetermination that indicates high predictive capacity. The SEM analysis show that subjective norm is the most vital factor that influences end-users’ intention to recommend mHealth innovation to others. Generally, it indicates that male users have higher intention to recommend mHealth innovation than female users of mHealth innovation. The result of the analysis also show that the correlations between the exogenous factors are positive and at least moderate across gender thus indicating the direction for adoption of marketing communication strategies to deepen the awareness of the innovation and encourage recommendation to others. The recommendation suggested center on marketing communication strategies that involves use of role models, influencers, celebrities, health practitioners and other referents to encourage the awareness and intention to recommend the innovation. The key limitation of the study is on sample size and the use of cross-sectional survey design which could pose danger in generalisation of the findings. However, it is concluded in the study that male users of mHealth innovation have higher intention to recommend the innovation than the female users of the innovation.