Enhancing Perceived Health Competence: The Impact of Persuasive Social Support Features in Health and Fitness Apps

Abstract

This study investigates how users’ perception of persuasive social support features influences perceptions of their health competence in health and fitness apps. Within the support of existing theories/frameworks on social support, the study develops a research model and hypotheses. Quantitative data was collected from 469 health and fitness app users and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results demonstrates that providing users with a means to share their experiences out of the desire to boost their ego and gain social recognition as well as a means to learn new behaviors by observing and imitating other’s behaviors within the app increases their confidence in their capabilities to perform and maintain positive health and fitness behaviors and outcomes using the app. The findings suggest that users’ perception of their health competence can be significantly improved when social support features are incorporated into health and fitness apps.

Keywords:

• Persuasive systems
• behavior change support system
• persuasive technology
• health and fitness
• physical activity
• perceived competence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data used in this study can be found using the link below.

SOCI _PHC dataset.csv

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Akon Obu Ekpezu

Akon Obu Ekpezu is a doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu, Department of Information Processing Science. She is currently researching persuasive systems design and its impact on users’ compliance, competence, and continuance intention in persuasive systems (including health and fitness apps and virtual reality fitness environments) that promote physical activity.

Isaac Wiafe

Isaac Wiafe is an Associate Professor of Information Technology at the University of Ghana. He is currently serving as the head of the Human-Computer Interaction research lab and has been researching human-computer behavior and persuasive technologies for over 15 years.

Harri Oinas-Kukkonen

Harri Oinas-Kukkonen is a Professor of Information Systems Science at the University of Oulu, where he previously served also as Dean of graduate school. He has been researching persuasive systems design for 20 years. He is a co-author of the book “Humanizing the Web: Change and Social Innovation” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).