IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/epplan/v112y2025ics0149718925001375.html

Forecasting the adoption of digital health technologies: The intention-expectation gap

Author

Listed:
  • Ruyobeza, Barimwotubiri (Billy)
  • Grobbelaar, Sara S. (Saartjie)
  • Botha, Adele

Abstract

Healthcare funders and program planners are increasingly recognising that the value and impact of assistive digital health technologies (ADHT) on the traditional healthcare systems are not exclusively realised in their procurement or inhouse design and development phases. Instead, these benefits are more evident in their implementation, adoption, scaling and consistent use. However, predicting the potential for the adoption and use of future health technology such as ADHT remains a significantly challenging task. Invariably, there is limited information available for estimating their initial uptake and continued use before their procurement or design. This research relies on the results of a cross-sectional field survey of 679 participants to explore the intention-expectation gap in target adopters, as an early indicator of an ADHT's potential for adoption and use. The results confirm that behavioural expectation is a better predictor of ADHT's uptake and use than behavioural intention. Furthermore, the larger the intention-expectation gap, the less likely the initial ADHT's uptake. Consequently, promotional and educational campaigns become more valuable and necessary to close the above gap and avoid the probable subsequent intention-behaviour gap and its resultant non-adoption and use.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruyobeza, Barimwotubiri (Billy) & Grobbelaar, Sara S. (Saartjie) & Botha, Adele, 2025. "Forecasting the adoption of digital health technologies: The intention-expectation gap," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:112:y:2025:i:c:s0149718925001375
    DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102670
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149718925001375
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102670?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    2. Hyun-Jeong Ban & Hak-Seon Kim, 2020. "Applying the Modified Health Belief Model (HBM) to Korean Medical Tourism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-13, May.
    3. repec:plo:pmed00:1001069 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Louise M. Hassan & Edward Shiu & Deirdre Shaw, 2016. "Who Says There is an Intention–Behaviour Gap? Assessing the Empirical Evidence of an Intention–Behaviour Gap in Ethical Consumption," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 219-236, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Valeria Superti & Cynthia Houmani & Ralph Hansmann & Ivo Baur & Claudia R. Binder, 2021. "Strategies for a Circular Economy in the Construction and Demolition Sector: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Recommendation of Recycled Concrete," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-32, April.
    2. Frommeyer, Britta & Wagner, Elisa & Hossiep, C. Richard & Schewe, Gerhard, 2022. "The utility of intention as a proxy for sustainable buying behavior – A necessary condition analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 201-213.
    3. Dirk C. Moosmayer & Yanyan Chen & Susannah M. Davis, 2019. "Deeds Not Words: A Cosmopolitan Perspective on the Influences of Corporate Sustainability and NGO Engagement on the Adoption of Sustainable Products in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 135-154, August.
    4. Lortie, Jason & Cox, Kevin C. & Roundy, Philip T., 2022. "Social impact models, legitimacy perceptions, and consumer responses to social ventures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 312-321.
    5. Henri Kuokkanen & William Sun, 2020. "Companies, Meet Ethical Consumers: Strategic CSR Management to Impact Consumer Choice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(2), pages 403-423, October.
    6. Krause, Marlen S. & Matzdorf, Bettina, 2019. "The intention of companies to invest in biodiversity and ecosystem services credits through an online-marketplace," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    7. Shah, Sayed Kifayat & Zhongjun, Tang, 2021. "Elaborating on the consumer’s intention–behavior gap regarding 5G technology: The moderating role of the product market-creation ability," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    8. Natalie Hogh & Joshua Braun & Lara Watermann & Simone Kubowitsch, 2025. "I Don’t Buy It! A Critical Review of the Research on Factors Influencing Sustainable Fashion Buying Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-25, April.
    9. William Sun, 2020. "Toward a theory of ethical consumer intention formation: re-extending the theory of planned behavior," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 10(3), pages 260-278, December.
    10. Eunjung Lim & Shin Arita & Soonhee Joung, 2019. "Advancing Sustainable Consumption in Korea and Japan—From Re-Orientation of Consumer Behavior to Civic Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-22, November.
    11. Wiesława Kuźniar & Tomasz Surmacz & Bogdan Wierzbiński, 2021. "The Impact of Ecological Knowledge on Young Consumers’ Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Food Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    12. Diane Pelly & Orla Doyle, 2022. "Nudging in the workplace: increasing participation in employee EDI wellness events," Working Papers 202208, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    13. Anne Christensen & Jane Cote & Claire Kamm Latham, 2018. "Developing Ethical Confidence: The Impact of Action-Oriented Ethics Instruction in an Accounting Curriculum," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 1157-1175, December.
    14. Smajlović Mediha Arnaut & Marić Esmeralda, 2025. "Mapping Environmental Consciousness In Marketing Literature," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 20(1), pages 176-191.
    15. Rahul Govind & Jatinder Jit Singh & Nitika Garg & Shachi D’Silva, 2019. "Not Walking the Walk: How Dual Attitudes Influence Behavioral Outcomes in Ethical Consumption," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 1195-1214, April.
    16. Cristina Longo & Avi Shankar & Peter Nuttall, 2019. "“It’s Not Easy Living a Sustainable Lifestyle”: How Greater Knowledge Leads to Dilemmas, Tensions and Paralysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 759-779, February.
    17. Barbara Borusiak & Andrzej Szymkowiak & Bartłomiej Pierański & Katarzyna Szalonka, 2021. "The Impact of Environmental Concern on Intention to Reduce Consumption of Single-Use Bottled Water," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, April.
    18. Hsiu‐Hua Chang & Wei‐Jen Chuang, 2021. "Encourage stakeholder engagement in sustainable development: Drivers of consumers themselves benefits and society welfares," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 748-762, March.
    19. Wang, Mingliang & Gong, Shunlong & Liang, Luyu & Bai, Li & Weng, Zhenlin & Tang, Jin, 2023. "Norms triumph over self-interest! The role of perceived values and different norms on sustainable agricultural practices," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    20. Rejoice Jealous Tobias-Mamina & Eugine Tafadzwa Maziriri, 2023. "Millennial Street Food Consumption: An Integrated Theory of Reasoned Action Approach," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 13(1), pages 11-18, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:112:y:2025:i:c:s0149718925001375. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/evalprogplan .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.