| Summary: | Aim/Purpose This study aims to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework that incor-porates personal characteristics, social context, and technological features as sig-nificant factors that influence the intention of small-city users in China to use mobile health. Background Mobile health has become an integral part of China's health management sys-tem innovation, the transformation of the health service model, and a necessary government measure for promoting health service parity. However, mobile health has not yet been widely adopted in small cities in China. Methodology The study utilized a quantitative approach whereby web-based questionnaires were used to collect data from 319 potential users in China using China's health management system. The data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM (the partial least squares-structural equation modeling) approach. Contribution This study integrates the protection motivation theory (PMT), which compen-sates for the limitations of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technol-ogy theory (UTAUT) and is a re-examination of PMT and UTAUT in a small city context in China. Findings The findings indicate that attitude and perceived vulnerability in the personal characteristic factors, social influence and facilitating conditions in the social context factors, and performance expectancy in the technological feature factors influence users' intention to use mobile health in small cities in China. Recommendations for Practitioners This study provides feasible recommendations for mobile health service providers, medical institutions, and government agencies based on the empirical results. Recommendations for Researchers As for health behavior, researchers should fully explain the intention of mobile health use in terms of holism and health behavior theory. Impact on Society This study aims to increase users' intention to use mobile health in small cities in China and to maximize the social value of mobile health. Future Research Future research should concentrate on the actual usage behavior of users and simultaneously conduct a series of longitudinal studies, including studies on continued usage behavior, abandonment behavior, and abandoned-and-used behavior. © 2023 Informing Science Institute. All rights reserved.
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