Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
An inadequate diet and lifestyle are major causes of various diseases. A healthy diet can prevent diseases and maintain a good health status. The present research objective was to test young consumers for their preference for healthy diets and their intention to purchase functional foods, as well as to identify factors that affect their attitudes. The study involved 720 consumers (average 20 years old), a structured questionnaire, and a specially-developed scientific methodology. The results were grouped based on sex and body mass index. The analysis focused on the points where consumers’ interest in healthy diet overlapped with health-related diet needs and how each of them corresponded with their knowledge on the following spheres: nutrition and health risks, labelled data use in food choice, preference for foods fortified with vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, or functional foods with a poor sensory quality. The data were processed using descriptive statistics, Z-test, and correlation tests. All the consumers demonstrated healthy diet preferences and a significant positive relationship (p < 0.01) with the factors. They made an informed choice based on the labelled data and preferred foods fortified with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers, as well as functional products with a lower sensory quality. All respondents, regardless of sex and body mass index, demonstrated nutrition and health risk awareness. The health-related diet needs also affected their food preferences (p < 0.05), with some exceptions. The young consumers possessed sufficient basic knowledge on food quality, nutrition, and health. Their attitudes depended on their preference for healthy diets and functional foods. The novel methodology can be applied to other studies of consumer preferences.
Consumer preference, influencing factors, healthy diet, food product quality, labeling, fortified food
1. Siegrist M, Bearth A, Hartmann C. The impacts of diet-related health consciousness, food disgust, nutrition knowledge, and the Big Five personality traits on perceived risks in the food domain. Food Quality and Preference. 2022;96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104441
2. Mu M, Xu L-F, Hu D, Wu J, Bai M-J. Dietary patterns and overweight/obesity: A review article. Iranian Journal of Public Health. 2017;46(7):869-876.
3. Better food and nutrition in Europe: a progress report monitoring policy implementation in the WHO European Region. World Health Organization; 2018. 51 p.
4. Lassale C, Galan P, Castetbon K, Péneau S, Méjean C, Hercberg S, et al. Differential association between adherence to nutritional recommendations and body weight status across educational levels: a cross-sectional study. Preventive Medicine. 2013;57(5):488-493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.06.030
5. Krömker D, Stolberg A, Müller C, Tian Z, Parlesak A. Is adolescent body weight associated with parental beliefs about overweight, attitudes towards food, and the home environment? Journal of Food Research. 2015;4(2):104-118. https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v4n2p104
6. Nehir El S, Simsek S. Food technological applications for optimal nutrition: An overview of opportunities for the food industry. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2012;11(1):2-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2011.00167.x
7. Mason MJ, Tanner JF, Piacentini M, Freeman D, Anastasia T, Batat W, et al. Youth and risky consumption: Moving toward a transformative approach. Journal of Research for Consumers. 2011;19:1-8.
8. Puerta P, Laguna L, Tárrega A, Carrillo E. Relevant elements on biscuits purchasing decision for coeliac children and their parents in a supermarket context. Food Quality and Preference. 2022;98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104496
9. Steinhauser J, Janssen M, Hamm U. Who buys products with nutrition and health claims? A purchase simulation with eye tracking on the influence of consumers' nutrition knowledge and health motivation. Nutrients. 2019;11(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092199
10. Davison J, Share M, Hennessy M, Bunting B, Markovina J, Stewart-Knox B. Correlates of food choice in unemployed young people: The role of demographic factors, self-efficacy, food involvement, food poverty and physical activity. Food Quality and Preference. 2015;46:40-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.06.014
11. Richard G, Malthou A, Smith A. The Diet and Behaviour Scale (DABS): Testing a new measure of food and drink consumption in a cohort of secondary school children from the South West of England. Journal of Food Research. 2015;4(3):148-161. https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v4n3p148
12. Grujić S, Grujčić M. The strategy of increasing production competitiveness in food industry of the Republic of Srpska by stimulating a new product development. Acta Economica. 2021;19(34):67-84. https://doi.org/10.7251/ACE2134067G
13. Grujić S, Odžaković B. Sweet bakery products for diabetic’s diet and analysis of risk associated with selected ingredients. Journal of Engineering and Processing Management. 2021;13(2):54-66. https://doi.org/10.7251/JEPM2102054G
14. Wills JM, Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann S, Kolka M, Grunert KG. European consumers and health claims: attitudes, understanding and purchasing behaviour. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2012;71(2):229-236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665112000043
15. Springfield S, Cunanan K, Heaney C, Peng K, Gardner C. The WELL diet score correlates with the alternative healthy eating index-2010. Food Science and Nutrition. 2020;8(6):2710-2718. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1558
16. Voinea L, Vrânceanu DM, Filip A, Popescu VD, Negrea TM, Dina R. Research on food behavior in romania from the perspective of supporting healthy eating habits. Sustainability. 2019;11(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195255
17. Medin AC, Myhre JB, Diep LM, Andersen LF. Diet quality on days without breakfast or lunch - Identifying targets to improve adolescents’ diet. Appetite. 2019;135:123-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.01.001
18. Soegoto AS, Walewangko NE. Strategy to increase consumer purchasing decisions in supermarket business. Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research. 2020;112:159-163. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.200108.038
19. Stewart-Knox BJ, Poínhos R, Fischer ARH, Chaudhrey M, Rankin A, Davison J, et al. Sex and age differences in attitudes and intention to adopt personalised nutrition in a UK sample. Journal of Public Health. 2021;1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01676-x
20. Bruschi V, Teuber R, Dolgopolova I. Acceptance and willingness to pay for health-enhancing bakery products - Empirical evidence for young urban Russian consumers. Food Quality and Preference. 2015;46:79-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.07.008
21. Pink AE, Stylianou KS, Ling Lee L, Jolliet O, Cheon BK. The effects of presenting health and environmental impacts of food on consumption intentions. Food Quality and Preference. 2022;98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104501
22. Grujić S, Grujić R, Petrović Đ, Gajić J. Knowledge of food quality and additives and its impact on food preference. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum, Technologia Alimentaria. 2013;12(2):215-222.
23. Grujić S, Grujić R. Food product development as opportunity for success or survival in the market. Proceedings of 6th Central European Congress on Food. CEFood 2012; 2012; Novi Sad. Novi Sad; 2012. p. 1202-1206. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2352.7206
24. Grujić S, Grujčić M. Consumer’s research for new functional bakery product development. Applied Technologies and Innovations. 2016;12(1):1-16.
25. Grujić S, Grujčić M. Identification of products attributes important for food choice. Agro Food Industry Hi Tech. 2017;28(4):68-72.
26. Feldman C, Harwell H, Brusca J. Using student opinion and design inputs to develop an informed university foodservice menu. Appetite. 2013;69:80-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.05.009
27. van der Bend DLM, Jakstas T, van Kleef E, Shrewsbury VA, Bucher T. Making sense of adolescent-targeted social media food marketing: A qualitative study of expert views on key definitions, priorities and challenges. Appetite. 2022;168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105691
28. Lovrić M, Komić J, Stević S. Statistical analysis: Methods and application. Banja Luka; 2006.
29. Dietary reference values for nutrients. Summary Report. EFSA Supporting Publication. 2017;14(12). https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.e15121
30. Doménech-Asensi G, Merola N, López-Fernández A, Ros-Berruezo G, Frontela-Saseta C. Influence of the reformulation of ingredients in bakery products on healthy characteristics and acceptability of consumers. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2016;67(1):74-82. https://doi.org/10.3109/09637486.2015.1126565
31. Gebski J, Jezewska-Zychowicz M, Szlachciuk J, Kosicka-Gębska M. Impact of nutritional claims on consumer preferences for bread with varied fiber and salt content. Food Quality and Preference. 2019;76:91-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.03.012
32. Ötles S, Ozgoz S. Health effects of dietary fiber. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum, Technologia Alimentaria. 2014;13(2):191-202.
33. Neale EP, Tapsell LC. Perspective: The evidence-based framework in nutrition and dietetics: Implementation, challenges, and future directions. Advances in Nutrition. 2019;10(1):1-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmy113
34. Annunziata A, Mariani A. Do consumers care about nutrition and health claims? Some evidence from Italy. Nutrients. 2019;11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112735
35. Wang Y, Wang J, Shen Q. A consumer segmentation study of nutrition information seeking and its relation to food consumption in Beijing, China. Foods. 2022;11(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11030453
36. Folkvord F, Bergmans N, Pabian S. The effect of the nutri-score label on consumer’s attitudes, taste perception and purchase intention: An experimental pilot study. Food Qual Prefe. 2021;94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104303
37. Miller LMS, Cassady DL. The effects of nutrition knowledge on food label use. A review of the literature. Appetite. 2015;92:207-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.05.029
38. Mustapa MAC, Amin L, Frewer LJ. Predictors of stakeholders’ intention to adopt nutrigenomics. Genes and Nutrition. 2020;15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12263-020-00676-y
39. Bandara BES, De Silva DAM, Maduwanthi BCH, Warunasinghe WAAI. Impact of food labeling information on consumer purchasing decision: with special reference to Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. Procedia Food Science. 2016;6:309-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2016.02.061
40. Tirelli C, Martínez-Ruiz MP, Gómez-Ladrón-De-Guevara R. Major influences on buying decision processes by international university students. Differences by continent of origin. Appetite. 2013;71:104-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.08.002
41. Lehman TA, Krug J, Falaster CD. Consumer purchase decision: factors that influence impulsive purchasing. Brazilian Journal of Marketing. 2019;18(4):196-219. https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v18i4.13345
42. Horvat A, Behdani B, Foglianoa V, Luninga AP. A systems approach to dynamic performance assessment in new food product development. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 2019;91:330-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.07.036
43. Franczak BC, Browne RP, McNicholas PD, Findlay CJ. Product selection for liking studies: The sensory informed design. Food Quality and Preference. 2015;44:36-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.02.015
44. Grujić S, Odžaković B, Božić S. Quality of energy-reduced muffin produced with whole-grain wheat flour, safe for diabetics’ nutrition. Journal of Chemists, Technologists and Environmentalists. 2020;1(1):41-53.
45. Wonderlich-Tierney AL, Wenzel KR, Vander Wal JS, Wang-Hall J. Food-related advertisements and food intake among adult men and women. Appetite. 2013;71:57-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.07.009
46. Sajdakowska M, Gebski J, Zakowska-Biemans S, Jezewska-Zychowicz M. Willingness to eat bread with health benefits: habits, taste and health in bread choice. Public Health. 2019;167.78-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.10.018
