It’s Cool to be Healthy! The Effect of Perceived Coolness on the Adoption of Fitness Bands and Health Behaviour

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32890/jict2023.22.1.5

Keywords:

smart wearable device, ubiquitous computing, health behaviour, technology adoption, human computer interaction, user experience

Abstract

Contemporary technology success is frequently associated with the competitive advantage of being cool. A fitness band is one of the
smart wearable devices promoting health behaviours, which is one of the cool lifestyle trends in modern societies. Although past research established the profound effects of coolness on user technology acceptance, the influencing role in fostering health behaviour remained obscure. To bridge the existing literature gap, the current study aims to examine the perception of coolness as a higher-order construct with multiple dimensions, namely originality, attractiveness, and sub-cultural appeals, by investigating the direct effect on fitness band adoption and indirect influence on users’ health behaviour. An online survey was conducted on 280 fitness band users, and the data was subsequently analysed via the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study results demonstrated that the perceived coolness of fitness bands significantly affects users’ device adoption levels, which subsequently influence personal health behaviour. This study thus contributes to health communication research by testing the coolness concept and developing the diffusioninnovation framework from current human-computer interaction literature. The findings would guide future developers of fitness bands to emphasise the coolness functions for higher degrees of adoption and positive impact on society.

Author Biographies

  • Nurdayana Mohamad Noor, School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Dr Dayana is an academic with a PhD in Communication, majoring in Media Studies, awarded by Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2021. Her research thesis is on user experience of wearable technology and its effect on healthy lifestyle. She completed her Master of Communications and Media Studies in Monash University, Australia and earned her Bachelor of Applied Art & Design (Hons) from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

  • Izzal Asnira Zolkepli, School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Dr Izzal Asnira Zolkepli is a Senior Lecturer of Persuasive Communication at School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia. She earned her doctorate in business studies from the University of Malaya, Malaysia with an emphasis on marketing, consumer and social media. Previously, she received her B.A. (Hons) in Advertising from Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University Technology MARA (UiTM) and M.A. in Advertising from School of Applied Communication, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia.

  • Bahiyah Omar, School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Bahiyah Omar is an associate professor in the School of Communication at Universiti Sains Malaysia. She teaches new media journalism and quantitative research method at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She earned her Ph.D. in Arts from the School of English, Communication and Performances Studies, Monash University Australia. 

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19-01-2023

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Vol. 22 No. 1 (2023): Journal of Information and Communication Technology (JICT) Vol.22, No.1, January 2023

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Mohamad Noor, N., Zolkepli, I. A., & Omar, B. (2023). It’s Cool to be Healthy! The Effect of Perceived Coolness on the Adoption of Fitness Bands and Health Behaviour. Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 22(1), 97-125. https://doi.org/10.32890/jict2023.22.1.5

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Identifiers DOI 10.32890/jict2023.22.1.5 OpenAlex W4317366262 Scopus 85147010470