Impacts of Heuristic-Systematic Clues on Health Information Adoption of Mobile Short Video Apps: Based on SEM and fsQCA

Abstract

[Purpose/Significance] Mobile short video apps like Tiktok have become one of the most frequently used tools to obtain/exchange health information in post-epidemic era. This study analyzed the complex relationships between the antecedents and users' health information adoption in mobile short video apps in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions, in order to optimize users' experience with health information adoption systematically, which in turn generates users' sustainability. [Method/Process] Based on both the information adoption model (IAM) and the heuristic-systematic model (HSM), this study constructed a health information adoption model of mobile short videos, in which five predictor variables (content quality, expression quality, information source credibility, app's reputation, perceived information usefulness) and an outcome variable (health information adoption) were included. The construct validity, reliability and symmetrical relationships between the five predictor variables and an outcome condition were examined using structural equation model (SEM) method. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to examine and reveal the configuration models. [Results/Conclusions] The results from PLS-SEM method and fsQCA validated the IAM and HSM in the context of mobile short video apps. Specifically, the results from PLS-SEM show that systematic and heuristic clues jointly affect users' adoption of health information. Content quality, app's reputation and information resource credibility significantly impact perceived information usefulness, and further affect the health information adoption. Expression quality has a significant effect on content quality, but no obvious effects on perceived information usefulness and health information adoption. The results of fsQCA reveal three configurations to affect users' health information adoption (i.e., content quality * expression quality * perceived information usefulness * information resource credibility), and another three configurations to affect users' non-adoption i.e., ~content quality * ~perceived information usefulness * ~information resource credibility), in which the latter configurations are asymmetric with the former. The configurations where systematic clues are predominant (S1a and S1b) are more sufficient for promoting users' health information adoption. N1(~ content quality * ~ perceived information usefulness * ~ information resource credibility). This shows the most sufficient configuration path in non-adoption. This study is aimed at exploring users' adoption and non-adoption decision-making process in a growing context of mobile short video apps like Tiktok, in order to contribute to helpful advice for the better management of these apps, which will eventually optimize users' experience with health information behavior. Users always engaged in many kinds of information activities such as information sharing, retweeting, adoption, and some relationships between these activities may exists. Due to the limited length, we did not consider users' other information behavior i.e., retweeting) and the relationship between them in this context, which could possibly be further research directions.

Keywords

• heuristic-systematic model|information adoption model|mobile short video apps|health information adoption