The Adoption of Mobile Weight Management Services in a Virtual Community: The Perspective of College Students

Abstract

Obesity among Taiwan college students is increasing every year. To help college students manage their weight, a prototype mobile weight management service system, the We Care for You Virtual Community (WCU VC), was designed, which would provide Web-based and cell-phone-based information services to individual participants. Conducted prior to system implementation, this study identified the factors affecting college student's intention in adopting the WCU VC as part of their weight control program. Employing the Technology Acceptance Model, factors associated with the college student's intention toward WCU VC were explored. Structural equation modeling analysis of collected data revealed that "perceived importance of health management" significantly affected the behavioral intention of adopting WCU VC services. Both "perceived importance of health management" and "perceived ease of use" had an indirect effect via "perceived usefulness" upon user's behavioral intention as well. With this knowledge of factors affecting student intention in participating in a Web-based and cell-phone-based weight control social support VC, a WCU VC system can be designed, which will promote the development of good weight management habits and contribute to the reduction in obesity-related chronic diseases among college students.