Willingness to Use Mobile Health Devices in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Nationwide Cross-sectional Study in China

Background: Despite the increased development and use of mobile health (mHealth) devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is little knowledge of willingness of the Chinese people to use mHealth devices and the key factors associated with their use in the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, a more comprehensive and multiangle investigation is required.

Objective: We aimed to probe Chinese attitudes regarding the use of mHealth and analyze possible associations between the attitude of willingness to use mHealth devices and some factors based on the socioecological model.

Methods: A survey was conducted using quota sampling to recruit participants from 148 cities in China between June 20 and August 31, 2022. Data from the survey were analyzed using multiple stepwise regression to examine the factors associated with willingness to use mHealth devices. Standardized regression coefficients (β) and 95% CIs were calculated using multiple stepwise regression.

Results: The survey contained a collection of 21,916 questionnaires and 21,897 were valid questionnaires, with a 99.91% effective response rate. The median score of willingness to use mHealth in the post-COVID-19 era was 70 points on a scale from 0 to 100. Multiple stepwise regression results showed that the female gender (β=.03, 95% CI 1.04-2.35), openness personality trait (β=.05, 95% CI 0.53-0.96), higher household per capita monthly income (β=.03, 95% CI 0.77-2.24), and commercial and multiple insurance (β=.04, 95% CI 1.77-3.47) were factors associated with the willingness to use mHealth devices. In addition, people with high scores of health literacy (β=.13, 95% CI 0.53-0.68), self-reported health rating (β=.22, 95% CI 0.24-0.27), social support (β=.08, 95% CI 0.40-0.61), family health (β=.03, 95% CI 0.03-0.16), neighbor relations (β=.12, 95% CI 2.09-2.63), and family social status (β=.07, 95% CI 1.19-1.69) were more likely to use mHealth devices.

Conclusions: On the basis of the theoretical framework of socioecological model, this study identified factors specifically associated with willingness of the Chinese people to use mHealth devices in the post-COVID-19 era. These findings provide reference information for the research, development, promotion, and application of future mHealth devices.