Predictors of Mobile Apps Use in Accessing Emergency Risk Public Health Information: The Case of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ghana

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has renewed both epistemic interest in and technophilic attention to the relevance of mobile apps in public health communication. In an era of digital and information technologies, technophiles have expressed optimism about the role technology can play without considering the realities that may invite differentiated possibilities for the value of technology in enhancing communication during public health emergencies. There is limited research evidence, especially from the perspective of users, of the utility and use of mobile apps to access information on infectious diseases such as COVID 19. Moreover, a review of the literature on the use of mobile apps in public health communication shows that theoretical models that directly contribute conceptual understanding and predictive power to the appreciation and use of mobile applications in public health communication are limited. This study adapted the UTAUT model to explore the predictive power of three variables—trust, perceived susceptibility, and perceived self efficacy—to respond to the research gap. Drawing from the positivist philosophy, a quantitative survey and structural equation modelling techniques were used to collect and analyse the data of the study. The findings showed that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and trust all influence behavioural intention towards the use of mobile apps in accessing information on infectious diseases. It is recommended that infectious disease management bodies and public health communicators take advantage of the popularity of verified mobile apps among the Ghanaian populace to share information on infectious diseases. These messages should offer pertinent information on the specific disease of public concern and should be designed to appeal to the youth.