The Impact of Health Communication Competence towards Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) in Health Information Sharing among Internet Users in Malaysia

  • Nur Athirah Sumardi Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Putri Arissa Balqis Ab Llah Universiti Teknologi Mara
  • Syarifah Mastura Syed Abu Bakar Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Narehan Hassan Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Natasha Dzulkalnine Universiti Teknologi MARA
Keywords: Health communication competence, electronic word of mouth, adherence in communication, critical and participative communication, active disease-related communication.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered daily activities, with Malaysians increasingly relying on the internet for various tasks, such as e-commerce and booking health appointments. This descriptive study applied a cross-sectional approach to explore the relationship between health communication competence and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) among internet users in Malaysia. A total of 400 respondents, selected through quota sampling from four regions, completed a questionnaire divided into three sections: demographic background, health communication competence, and e-WOM. The findings indicated that Malaysian internet users possess fair health communication competence. Correlational analysis showed significant relationships between health communication competence—specifically adherence, critical and participative communication, and active disease-related communication—and e-WOM. However, multiple regression analysis identified critical and participative communication as the strongest predictor of e-WOM in health information sharing. The research met its three objectives and supported all four hypotheses, contributing valuable insights to a previously under-researched area and offering a foundation for future exploration of these variables.

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Published
2024-10-27
How to Cite
Sumardi, N. A., Ab Llah, P. A. B., Abu Bakar, S. M. S., Hassan, N., & Dzulkalnine, N. (2024). The Impact of Health Communication Competence towards Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) in Health Information Sharing among Internet Users in Malaysia. Information Management and Business Review, 16(3S(I)a), 642-650. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i3S(I)a.4157
Section
Research Paper