Understanding health beliefs and perceived app value in telemedicine adoption: evidence from Korean college students using an extended HBM

Purpose This study aims to investigate how users’ health beliefs influence their intention to use telemedicine applications, emphasizing the mediating role of perceived app value within an extended Health Belief Model (HBM) framework. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 365 college students in South Korea who had prior experience using mobile-based telemedicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to examine the relationships among core HBM constructs (perceived benefits, barriers, severity, susceptibility, cues to action and self-efficacy), perceived app value and behavioral intention to use telemedicine. Findings The results indicate that all major HBM constructs, except for perceived susceptibility, significantly influenced either perceived app value or behavioral intention. Perceived app value emerged as a critical mediator linking health beliefs to users’ intention to adopt telemedicine services. The nonsignificant effect of perceived susceptibility suggests that users do not primarily associate telemedicine with high-risk medical needs but rather view it as a convenient solution for managing chronic or nonurgent conditions. Originality/value This study extends the traditional HBM by incorporating perceived app value as a mediating construct, providing a more comprehensive understanding of digital health behavior. The findings offer valuable insights for researchers, digital health developers and policymakers seeking to enhance telemedicine adoption through app design improvements.