Determinants of Personal Health Information Disclosure via Wearable Fitness Devices: Examining the Mediating Role of a Pandemic

Summary

Researchers surveyed 301 wearable fitness device users and ran a focus group of 99 participants to study what drives willingness to disclose personal health information. They tested an integrated model built on the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior. Perceived benefits, perceived barriers, attitudes, and subjective norms significantly shaped disclosure, and pandemic risk concerns moderated it. Users shared sensitive data more readily when they saw high personal benefit and low risk.