Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet

This study examined the correlation between body mass index as independent variable, and body image and fear of negative evaluation as dependent variables, as well as the moderating role of self-esteem in these correlations. A total of 318 Malaysian young adults were conveniently recruited to do the self-administered survey on the demographic characteristics body image, fear of negative evaluation, and self-esteem. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. The results revealed that body mass index was negatively associated with body image, while no such correlation was found with fear of negative evaluation. Meanwhile, the negative correlation of body mass index with body image was stronger among those with lower self-esteem, while a positive association of body mass index with fear of negative evaluation was significant only among individuals with low self-esteem.

The prevalence of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 in the wide-open social media environment has raised considerable concerns about the adverse effects of believing such theories. The previous work showed that skepticism is negatively associated with acceptance of media content. However, this association has yet to be investigated between skepticism towards content on social media and conviction of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Furthermore, this association can be a function of social media users’ dark triad traits comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. A convenient sample of 439 Malaysian young adult social media users was recruited to complete the survey. Results showed that skepticism has a negative relationship with belief in conspiracy theories about COVID-19. However, the strength of the relationship is varied depending on respondents’ Machiavellianism and narcissism levels. The negative association between skepticism and belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is weaker for individuals with high scores on Machiavellianism. High and moderate scores on narcissism were also found to diminish the negative relationship of skepticism with COVID-19 conspiracy ideation. The results yield implications for enhancing healthy skepticism to mitigate belief in conspiracy theories promulgated on social media. Nonetheless, Machiavellianism and narcissism appeared to weaken the power of skepticism on conspiracy theories.

Background: The negative relationship between uncertainty and quality of life is well reported in the literature. Also, there is abundant research linking coping strategies to cancer patients' quality of life. However, there exists a paucity of information on the moderating effect of coping styles on the relationship between uncertainty and quality of life in cancer patients.Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether uncertainty in illness is negatively correlated with quality of life and whether this relationship is moderated by coping strategies, namely, problem-focused, avoidant, and active emotional coping.Methods: A convenience sample of 135 Malaysian women with breast cancer participated in the study. Participants completed measures of uncertainty in illness, quality of life, and coping styles.Results: Uncertainty in breast cancer was negatively related to quality of life (β = −0.379,P< .001), and active emotional coping was found to moderate this negative relationship (β = 0.155,P< .05). The model explained 22.20% of the variance of quality of life.Conclusion: Lack of information about breast cancer, treatment, hospitalization, and disease recurrence is related to poorer quality of life. However, this negative relationship becomes weaker when active emotional coping strategies are used.Implications for Practice: Nurses and health providers should help patients reduce their uncertainty in illness by providing them information on breast cancer or referring them to relevant sources. Moreover, they could reduce the deleterious effect of uncertainty on quality of life by encouraging patients to use more active emotional coping strategies.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) as an innovative form of information and communications technology can efficiently deliver high-quality health care by enhancing communication and health management, reducing costs, and increasing access to health services. An individual’s internal health locus of control (HLOC) is found to be associated with the behavioral intent to adopt mHealth. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to test the mediation influence of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) on the relationship between internal HLOC and the behavioral intention to use mHealth. Methods: A total of 374 responses were collected from Malaysian adult users of mHealth, using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Data were collected for variables, including demographics, internal HLOC, and modified UTAUT constructs (ie, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence). Results: The results showed that there was no direct relationship between internal HLOC and the behavioral intention to use mHealth (β=−0.039, P=.32). The indirect relationship between internal HLOC and the intent to adopt mHealth was supported, indicating that the UTAUT constructs performance expectancy (β=0.104, P<.001), effort expectancy (β=0.056, P=.02), and social influence (β=0.057, P=.002) mediated this relationship. The results showed full mediation, with total variance explained at 47.2%. Conclusions: This study developed an integrative model, where a health-related disposition (internal HLOC), mHealth-related beliefs (performance expectancy and effort expectancy), and normative pressure (social influence) were combined to explain the underlying mechanism of the behavioral intent to adopt mHealth. The results showed that the intention to adopt mHealth is mediated by the influence of UTAUT factors, while HLOC has no direct effect on adoption intention. The findings provide insights into augmenting mHealth adoption among the public by enhancing the perceived benefits of mHealth, helping design more effective and user-friendly mHealth tools, and capitalizing on social normative influence to adopt mHealth. This study utilized the constructs of the UTAUT model to determine the intention to use mHealth. Future research should focus on other health- and technology-related theories to ascertain other possible factors influencing the behavioral intent of mHealth adoption.