The role of health-consciousness and narcissist admiration in determining attitude towards adoption of health applications, influenced by observation and trialability

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the antecedents of attitude in the context of adoption of health apps. Do females and males interpret health apps differently? Another objective of this study is to examine if health consciousness (HC) and narcissist admiration can be the antecedents to innovation diffusion theory (IDT). Design/methodology/approach Data was collected using purposive sampling in India. The data was primarily analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling, the importance–performance map analysis, cross-validated predictive ability test and the slope analysis using Smart PLS 4.0. Findings Consumers characterized by narcissism and HC engage in trials and observation of health apps. The moderating effect analysis also found that gender moderates the effect of HC and narcissism on observability and trialability, respectively. Females are more likely to observe and try these apps than males. HC and their narcist admiration tend to make them observant and keep on trying different health applications. Based on the premise of IDT, it can be construed that observability and trialability are the building blocks of attitude. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in identifying narcissism and HC as the new antecedents in the existing IDT framework. The antecedents and the consequence of the model amplify the serial mediation effect of trialability and attitude.