The Role of the User Information Environment in mHealth Effectiveness

Although mobile health (mHealth) has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, half of mHealth interventions fail to achieve significant effects. Building on the foundation of information integration theory, we examine how a user’s information environment affects mHealth effectiveness. Findings from a large-scale field experiment on cesarean section (C-section) reduction among 4,629 expectant mothers over a 25-month study period reveal a complex interplay between the information environment, user information needs, and mHealth design. Although, on average, our mHealth intervention leads to a sizable 25.9% reduction in C-section rates, its effectiveness is strongly moderated by the user’s information environment. In particular, public information strengthens mHealth effectiveness for planned pregnancies but reduces mHealth effectiveness for those that are unplanned. For private information, in contrast, these effects are reversed. Interestingly, further analysis shows that the interaction of mHealth with private information channels inadvertently leads to an increase in C-section overtreatment, likely attributable to doctor influence. This research broadens the scope of mHealth studies to include the user’s information environment and offers novel empirical insights into the pivotal and complex roles of information environmental factors as determinants of mHealth effectiveness.

History: Wonseok Oh, Senior Editor; Choon-Ling Sia, Associate Editor.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.0414.