Title: Comprehending the roles of perceived usefulness and satisfaction in smoking cessation online health communities: a social capital perspective

Authors: Chenglong Li

Addresses: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

Abstract: This research seeks to unravel the roles of perceived usefulness (PU) and satisfaction in smoking cessation online health communities (OHCs). In the research model, user satisfaction and PU are proposed to motivate users' knowledge-sharing and recommendation behaviours. Social ties, shared language, shared vision, reciprocity, and commitment are antecedents to PU from a social capital perspective, which leads to user satisfaction with smoking cessation OHCs in turn. The research model is empirically validated with survey data collected from the users of two smoking cessation OHCs. The research results show that both PU and satisfaction affect users' knowledge-sharing and recommendation behaviours positively. PU has a significant impact on satisfaction, and PU of smoking cessation OHCs is affected by shared language, shared vision, and commitment. The findings extend the understanding of PU and satisfaction in the context of smoking cessation OHCs and offer practical implications for smoking cessation OHC service providers.

Keywords: social capital; perceived usefulness; smoking cessation; online health community; recommendation behaviour; knowledge-sharing; user satisfaction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMCP.2022.123146

International Journal of Telemedicine and Clinical Practices, 2022 Vol.3 No.4, pp.257 - 275

Received: 13 Feb 2021
Accepted: 26 Aug 2021
Published online: 31 May 2022 *