Relationship between Past Use and Medicating Intention within the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case of Non-Prescription Anthelmintic Medications in Vietnam

Abstract

Past behavior has been suggested as a potential predictor of future behavior in social cognition models but has not been tested in the context of consumer medicating behavior. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between past behavior, operationalized as the frequency of past use, and intention, as defined by the theory of planned behavior. First, based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study tested the predictive utility of an intention of Vietnamese mothers to administer non-prescription anthelmintic medications to their school-age children. Second, it examined the predictive validity of past use on intention. Third, it identified moderating effect of demographic variables on the relationship between past use and intention. A convenient sample of 395 mothers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was included in the present study. The original model of TPB explained 32.3% of the variance in the intention to use non-prescription anthelmintics. The addition of past use frequency added 11.7% of the variance in the intention after controlling for the TPB original constructs. Monthly household income of mothers significantly moderated the relationship between past use and intention. Age and educational levels of mothers did not moderate the relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as research limitations are discussed.

Keywords: Theory of planned behavior, intention, past use frequency, anthelmintics