How does information technology affect individuals’ health behavior in a pandemic? Insights from mobile health application use during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis has affected human mental health and health behavior. This was not the first pandemic in the world and will not be the last. Pandemics affect health behavior regarding prevention, avoidance, and management of illness. This study applies literature from Information Systems (IS) success, pandemic behavior, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), and mobile technology identity (MTI) to investigate the effects of information technology (IT) attributes on health behavior during a pandemic. It is based on data from 232 patients of Arabic ethnic origin who visited a primary care clinic in Shefar'am. Results, based on structural equation modeling, indicate that perceived usefulness of mobile technology increases satisfaction with health reporting. Moreover, anxiety increases disclosure effort in using mobile technology, both directly and through a path mediated by MTI. Finally, disclosure effort reduces change in health behavior and satisfaction with self-reporting. Previous studies on health behavior during a pandemic and the role of IT in health behavior do not consider the role of IT in people's heath behavior, such as how IT can enable them to more frequently check their health during the pandemic. This study contributes to the literature by addressing this gap and providing insights into the role of IT in health behavior change during a pandemic. It also offers insights for clinics regarding the usefulness of mobile health (m-health) applications for patients so that they can to help patients change their health behavior towards using these applications.