Determinants of health-promoting behavior among eHealth consumers in South Korea: a longitudinal path analysis

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the key factors influencing health-promoting behavior and the behavioral intentions of eHealth consumers based on the health promotion model and technology acceptance model. Methods: This research involved a longitudinal path analysis. The study was conducted with 360 eHealth consumers aged over 18 years, employed in the top five categories of the Korean standard classification of occupations, and living in the five largest cities in South Korea. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 25.0.Results: Health-promoting behaviors were directly supported by prior health-related behavior and behavioral intention, and indirectly supported by perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived benefit, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention. These variables accounted for 36.3% of the variance in health-promoting behavior. Conclusion: The findings serve as a framework that can help health professionals and health information providers understand how to encourage consumers using eHealth to engage in health-promoting behaviors.