The role of consumption motivation, cultural sensitivity, and women’s status in family toward confinement centre service usage intention

• Main Author: Xia, Xiaofan
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 2026
• Subjects: General Works::Social Sciences::The family. Marriage. Woman; General Works::Social Sciences::Social pathology. Social and public welfare; Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)::Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3)
• Online Access: https://utmik.utm.my/handle/123456789/190844

Confinement centres have been around for more than 40 years, providing professional and comprehensive postpartum recovery services for mothers and newborns, and becoming a popular business in many countries. While globally widespread, their development varies, especially in Malaysia, where they mainly serve Chinese mothers and are less utilized by Malay and Indian families. The industry operates without regulation by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, and research on factors influencing mothers' intentions to use these centres is limited. Past studies have largely overlooked cultural differences and the role of key family decision-makers. To address these gaps and to understand this uneven market phenomenon, this study explores the factors influencing confinement centre usage and examines how cultural sensitivity and women's status in the family mediate the relationship between consumption motivation and usage intention in Malaysia. This study integrates Self- Determination Theory with the Theory of Planned Behaviour using a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the proposed model. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight postpartum mothers who had used confinement centre services, to explore the motivational factors influencing their intention to use such services. The findings, analyzed using NVivo 20, identified five key components of consumption motivation: innovative functional motivation, individual motivation, social motivation, expected well-being, and financial well-being. Based on the results, a survey was conducted with 181 women in late pregnancy or postpartum mothers with infants under six months. Data was collected both offline at hospitals and mother-andbaby exhibitions, and online through Facebook and referrals, representing Malaysia’s three major ethnic groups, to examine the relationships between the variables in the conceptual framework. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLSSEM) analysis conducted with SmartPLS 4.0 revealed that consumption motivation significantly impacts the intention to use confinement centre services. Among the components of consumption motivation, financial well-being emerged as the most influential factor, positively affecting usage intention. Expected well-being had a negative impact, while individual motivation contributed positively. In contrast, innovative functional motivation and social motivation showed no significant effects. In comparison to women's status in family, cultural sensitivity exhibits a stronger mediating effect between consumption motivation and confinement centre service usage intention. While women's family status has a positive influence, cultural sensitivity exerts a negative impact. These findings offer valuable insights for both researchers and industry practitioners to refine their market strategies. They also provide a basis for public awareness and policy development, encouraging the Ministry of Health Malaysia to promote professional postpartum healthcare and provide financial support.