What facilitates users’ compliance willingness to health information in online health communities: a subjective norms perspective

Purpose The environment in which users acquire medical and health information has changed dramatically, with online health communities (OHCs) emerging as an essential means for accessing health information. It is imperative to comprehend the factors that shape the users' compliance willingness (UCW) to health information in OHCs. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted the information adoption model (IAM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate the influence of argument quality (AQ), source credibility (SC) and subjective norms (SN) on UCW while considering the two types of online health information – mature and emerging treatments. The authors conducted an explanatory-predictive study based on a 2 (treatment types: mature vs. emerging) * 2 (AQ: high vs. low) * 2 (SC: high vs. low) scenario-based experiment, using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings SC positively influences AQ. AQ, SC and SN contribute to information usefulness (IU). These factors positively affect UCW through the mediation of IU. SN were found to improve UCW directly. Moreover, the moderating effect of SC on AQ and IU was more substantial for emerging treatments. Originality/value The research model integrates IAM and TPB, considering information types as an additional variable. The approach and findings provide a valuable explanation for UCW to health information in OHCs.