Online Health Information Use by Disabled People: the Moderating Role of Disability

This study intends to understand the online health information use behavior of people with disabilities. Drawing on rational choice theory and IS success model, a research model is developed to explain how the effects of object-based and outcome-based beliefs are moderated by individuals' level of disability. The model was empirically tested by survey data from 243 online users with physical disabilities. The results show that online health information use is enhanced by perceived benefit and reduced by perceived risk. Information and system quality strengthen perceived benefit and mitigate perceived risk. In addition, information quality is found to be predicted by accuracy, completeness, and transparency of online health information, whereas system quality is predicted by accessibility, navigability, and readability of online health information. More important, it is found that disability weakens the effect of information quality on perceived risk, strengthens the effect of system quality on perceived risk, and strengthens the effect of perceived benefits on information use. This research contributes to the IS literature by focusing on the minority group of people with disabilities and providing an in-depth understanding of their online health information use behavior.