Leveraging Goal Striving Mechanisms for Effective Information Systems Use

While it has been well established that regular physical activity is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality attributed to a number of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer, unfortunately, more than 50% of the US adult population fail to meet the national physical activity recommendations (about 30 minutes of brisk walking a day (10,000 steps/day)). Even though people might adopt the goal of being physically active, examples from everyday life show that it is very challenging for people to follow through with their goals, especially when the goals involve a change in their behavior. Using information technology (IT) to purposefully change user behavior is a key issue for both research and practice, especially in the health domain. To date, behavioral models of IT use have focused primarily on the factors associated with the adoption of a particular system. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms through which IT use can support the users’ achievement of their behavior change goals is still limited. Furthermore, our understanding of the mechanisms through which intentions to adopt IT can turn into actual adoption is still in its infancy. This dissertation focuses on the role of IT (activity trackers) use in facilitating changes in health-related behaviors (physical activity) through two essays by addressing the following questions: What are the mechanisms which might facilitate translating the desire to change behavior into actual behavior change? , How effective are these mechanisms when provided via IT i.e. IT based goal striving mechanisms? , and Can goal striving mechanisms enhance IT adoption? Together the two essays advance our knowledge of the role of IT use in supporting the achievement of physical activity. Future research that builds on the findings of this dissertation research will not only advance theory but also significantly impact policies that guide IT based initiatives geared toward changing health related behaviors. ©2015 by Amr Soror All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of several people. First and foremost, I acknowledge the sacrifice made by my wife Mona and my lovely kids Noor and Adam to help me earn my PhD degree. But for their support and patient endurance, I could not have completed this dissertation. I am also very thankful to all my family members especially my brother Ahmed and to all my friends especially Hossam and Kadry for their love and support which aided me in pushing myself way beyond what I perceived to be my limit. I thank my advisor Prof. Fred Davis for always being supportive of my ideas and for his confidence in me. The freedom he gave me in making various research decisions has made me confident in my ability to work independently and motivates me to work on more challenging research projects in years ahead. I also thank my committee members Prof. Ofir Turel, Prof. Christinna Serrano, and Prof. Elizabeth Howlett for their time and valuable feedback. I’m thankful for this quote from the movie “Rocky Balboa” (2006) which helped me get through the numerous tough times in the PhD journey: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! ” DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to everyone who believed in or doubted my ability to get the job done on time, if ever.