Speaker
Description
Background: These days latest generation of smartphones allows the development of new applications in healthcare and pregnant women frequently use the Internet and smartphone applications as a source of information throughout their pregnancy. Even though mobile technologies are exponentially growing and have proved to be effective for pregnancy care, little is known about the intention to use smartphone apps and predictors during pregnancy in Ethiopia.
Objective: The study aimed to assess the magnitude of intention to use smartphone pregnancy apps and its predictors among pregnant women attending ANC service in Dessie and Kombolcha public health facilities.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2024 among 924 pregnant women attending ANC service in the study area. Data was collected, cleaned, and descriptive statistics were analysed. The extent of the relationship between variables were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The model’s assumptions were checked and overall goodness of fit was assessed based on standards. T-test and standardized path coefficient computed to measure the association between dependent and independent variables, with 95% confidence intervals, and corresponding p-value to evaluate statistical significance (p-value<0.05).
Results: The study found a 46.1% (95% CI: 42.8% - 49.3%) prevalence of intention to use smartphone pregnancy apps. The structural equation model, which exhibited excellent fit (CFI=0.99, RMSEA=0.01) and high explanatory power (R² = 0.87), identified several significant predictors. Effort Expectancy (β=0.59, p=0.001), Social Influence (β=0.46, p=0.01), and Facilitating Conditions (β=0.30, p=0.02) had significant positive effects on intention. Conversely, Performance Expectancy (β=-0.53, p=0.03) and Price Value (β=-0.66, p<0.001) had significant negative effects. Hedonic Motivation and Habit were not significant predictors. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis revealed that neither age nor experience significantly moderated these relationships.
Conclusion and recommendations: The intention to adopt smartphone pregnancy apps in this setting is moderate and is driven by a unique set of factors. While ease of use and social support are key enablers, the strong negative impact of cost and negative effect of performance expectancy are the most critical findings. This suggests that in contexts with strong traditional health practices, high-performance claims may generate distrust. Therefore, successful implementation requires culturally sensitive strategies that position apps as affordable and easy-to-use.
