Perceptions and attitudes towards use of an mHealth app for remote monitoring of gingivitis (iGAM) and willingness to pay for mHealth apps (Part 3): Mixed methods study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Gingivitis is a non-painful reversible gum inflammation, untreated, it progresses and teeth may be lost. According to the Health Belief Model, individuals take action when they perceive there is a risk to their health, and prioritize the benefits of seeking treatment over the obstacles. The asymptomatic nature of gingivitis leads people to postpone dental appointments until the clinical signs are obvious and pain is evident. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated social distancing that probably caused many people to postpone dental visits. iGAM is dental mHealth app that remotely monitors gum health, an observational study demonstrated the ability of iGAM to reduce gingivitis. OBJECTIVE This mixed-methods study assessed perceptions, attitudes, willingness to pay and willingness to use an mHealth app. METHODS The research process was divided into 2 phases. Qualitative (8 semi-structures interviews) and quantitative (121 questionnaires) data collection methods. RESULTS 3 themes emerged from the interviews: 1) The iGAM app is capable of improving health; 2) lack of use of medical applications; 3) a contradiction between the objective state of health and the self-definition of being healthy. When analyzing the responses to the questionnaires, the participants were grouped according to whether they believed that mHealth apps can improve health. Subjects who believed that mHealth apps can enhance health (M = 1.96, SD = 1.01) had a higher willingness to pay for the service (depending on price) than subjects who did not believe in app efficacy (M = 1.31, SD = 0.87), {T (119) = - 2,417, p = .017}. A significant positive correlation was found between the amount a subject was willing to pay and the benefits the app offers (rs = .185, p = .043). CONCLUSIONS Potential mHealth users will be willing pay for app use depending on their perception of the ability of the app to help them personally, provided they define themselves as currently unhealthy. CLINICALTRIAL IRB, 0212-18-HMO