Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Oct 8, 2024
Date Accepted: Jun 23, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Acceptance, Drivers, and Barriers to use mHealth Applications to Improve Quality of Life in Female Patients Affected by Hypothyroidism: a Cross-sectional Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Hypothyroidism is a common chronic disease associated with lower quality of life, a trend that interventions delivered by mHealth applications could ameliorate.
Objective:
The objective of the present study was to assess acceptance, drivers, and barriers to use mHealth applications to improve quality of life in female patients affected by hypothyroidism.
Methods:
A survey-based, cross-sectional study, which included N = 318 female patients affected by hypothyroidism (assessed via self-report) was conducted between April 2023 and April 2024. Sociodemographic, health, and eHealth-related data were assessed. To determine acceptance and its drivers and barriers, an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model was applied. Group comparisons and multiple hierarchical regression were conducted.
Results:
Acceptance of mHealth applications was high (M = 4.10, SD = 0.91), with 76.1% (n = 242) of the participants reporting high acceptance, 18.6% (n = 59) reporting moderate acceptance, and only 5.3% (n = 17) reporting low acceptance. Significant predictors of acceptance were Place of Residence: Medium-sized city (β = .34, p = .02) and small town or rural area (β = .28, p = .003), Fatigue (β = .54, p < .001), Internet anxiety (β = -.20, p = .002), and the UTAUT predictors Effort expectancy (β = .37, p < .001), Performance expectancy (β = .32, p < .001), and Social influence (β = .20, p < .001). The extended model explained 56.1% of variance in acceptance.
Conclusions:
The high level of acceptance of mHealth applications observed among females affected by hypothyroidism suggests that mHealth interventions can provide such patients with valuable support to manage the disease. Drivers and barriers should be addressed during the implementation of mHealth interventions Clinical Trial: N/A
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