Privacy paradox resolution in mHealth: the moderating effect of rationality degree

Purpose The collection and use of personal medical information for mobile health (mHealth) service raise significant privacy concerns. In this context, this study aims to explore the privacy paradox and its impact from the perspective of paradox resolution. Design/methodology/approach Based on social support theory and privacy calculus theory, this study first studies the effect of social support on perceived benefits, and explores the moderating effect of perceived health status on the privacy trade-off process. Secondly, the study examines the path of “privacy concerns – disclosure intention – disclosure behavior” to verify the existence of the privacy paradox. Following this, based on rational choice theory, the rationality degree is introduced as a moderating variable to investigate both its impact on the central route and the strength of this impact on the privacy paradox. Findings Empirical results show that informational support and emotional support influence perceived benefits significantly. Perceived benefits significantly influence privacy concerns, and perceived health status has a significant positive moderating effect. The authors further find that there is a privacy paradox within the mHealth context, and the privacy paradox is moderated negatively by rationality degree. The findings indicate that the impact strength of the privacy paradox will decrease with increases in rationality degree. Research limitations/implications The findings indicate that it is crucial to evaluate the privacy paradox and its impact from the perspective of paradox resolution. Originality/value This study offers a complete comprehension of the privacy paradox in mHealth and provides several valuable recommendations for enhancing both mHealth services and privacy controls.