They Know They Ought to, So Why Don’t They? –Breaking Down the Barriers to Healthier Eating
Laura Staugaitytė & Tino Bech-Larsen
MAPP MAPP KONFERENCEAarhus School of Business MiddelfartUniversity of Aarhus 13-11-2007
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Agenda
Research backgroundResearch designResearch resultsImplicationsQuestions!
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I wish that I didn’t wish that I didn’t wish to eat cream cake. I wish to eat cream cake because I like it. I wish that I didn’t like it, because, as a moderately vain person, I think it is more important to remain slim. But I wish I was less vain (But do I think that only when I wish to eat cake?).
(Elster, 1989, p. 37)
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Background (1)
Despite numerous attempts to encourage people to eat healthier, the positive changes are very slow and rather insignificant.
Healthy eating behaviours are very often grounded in attitude ambivalence (Sparks et al., 2001; Olsen et al., 2005; Orland and Ito, 2005). − Sensory appeal is the main determinant of food choice
or even “the only criterion used when deciding whether to buy a particular food” (Moskowitz et al., 2005, p. 173).
− Consumers are increasingly reflective in matters of health and willing to adopt health-oriented diets (Niva, 2007).
There is a lack of consumer-based development of healthier food products
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Nutritionists study the physiological correlates of dietary patterns
Health psychologists focus on the treatment of illnesses and on health promotion
Consumer behaviorfocuses on the choice (taste, convenience, price, health), use and disposal of foods
Healthy eating….. As defined by different fields of research
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Nutritionists study the physiological correlates of dietary patterns
Health psychologistsfocus on the treatment of illnesses and on health promotion
Consumer behavior focuses on the choice (taste, convenience, price, health),use and disposal of foods
Design of this study (1)Possibilities for integration?
Liking
Health orientation
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Design of the study (3)Target groups and product categories
Senior citizens
Aged 55-70
Adolescents
13-15-year-olds
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Design of the study (3)Three segments
Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3
During the last year they have
succeeded inchanging their eating habits
(increase of F&V, decrease of animal
fat/soft drinks)
During the last year they have tried but not succeeded in
changing their eating habits (increase of F&V, decrease of animal fat/soft
drinks)
During the last year they have not tried to change
towards healthier eating habits
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Study 1: Focus groups
Two adolescent groups (aged 10-14) and two groups with people around retirement (aged 55-70)
Group dynamics was facilitated by recruiting participants with different experiences and intentions with regard to healthy eating
Some insights: − General satisfaction with current diets− Misconception of healthiness of current diets− Important not to seem too health oriented − When assessing the outcomes of healthy eating
time perspectives are short− Adolescents perceive parents as a barrier to as
well as a facilitator of healthy eating
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Study 2: Quantitative study
Survey with peopleaged 55-70
Survey with adolescents(13-15-year-olds)
N = 1214•Phone recruitment (based on past behaviour)•Self-administered paper questionnaire sent by post• Changing behaviour:
N = 934•9 schools in various regions in Denmark •Self-administered paper questionnaire filled in class•Changing behaviour:
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The survey: conceptual framework
Outcome expectancies
Outcome expectancies
Perceived control
Perceived control
Subjective norms
Subjective norms
Food choice criteria/
preferences
Food choice criteria/
preferences
Perceived health status
Perceived health status
Change experiences
Change experiences
Change intentionsChange
intentions
Innovativeness/ food neophobiaInnovativeness/ food neophobia
Health consciousness
Health consciousness
InformationInformation
Current Consumption
Current Consumption
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PRELIMINARY RESULTSIntention to eat healthier
,128**,133**,117**,229**Dummy: tried to change and failed
,152**,145**,252**,326**Dummy: tried to change and succeeded
-,103**,053-,112*,065Current consumption (frequency)
-,114*-.104Satisfaction with well-being (body, health, life)
-,079-,098*-,030-,077Satisfaction with food-related life
,021,139**Preference for naturalness in food choice
,229**,080,220**,170**Preference for healthiness in food choice
-,043,048,106**,143**Subjective norms
,081,145**Expected effort required to change
,118**,139**Perceived self control
-,080-,004-,095*-,109**Negative outcome expectancies
,238**,170**,197**,193**Positive outcome expectancies
Intention to eat less animal fat (adj. R
square ,282)
Intention to eat more F&V (adj. R
square ,219)
Intention to drink less soft drinks (adj. R
square ,400)
Intention to eat more F&V (adj. R square
,402)
Senior citizensAdolescentsTarget groups & dependent variables
Independent variables
Asterisks after regression coefficients indicate significance levels of p < 0.05 (*) and p < 0.01 (**).
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PRELIMINARY RESULTS In other words…
Intention to eat healthier
Strong beliefs in positive
outcomes of change
Health orientationin food choice and
in general
Non-satisfaction with health, body, food related life…
Family’s support/pressure (esp. for adolescents)
Past Behaviour
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Three segments…who are they?
Health achievers Health aspirers Hedonists
During the last year they have
succeeded in changing their eating habits
(increase of F&V, decrease of animal
fat/soft drinks)
During the last year they have tried but not succeeded in
changing their eating habits (increase of F&V, decrease of animal fat/soft
drinks)
During the last year they have not tried to change
towards healthier eating habits
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⇒They care less about healthiness and more about taste
⇒They report relatively fewer health problems
⇒They are more satisfied with their health-related life
⇒They think that people who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are health freaks
⇒Equal number of men and women
⇒~61% of the population
⇒They have good intentions, but they have cravings for unhealthy food
⇒They are less satisfied with their food related life
⇒They are less satisfied with their health
⇒~20% of the population
⇒They care much more about healthiness in the food choice
⇒They are more health oriented
⇒They report more health problems
⇒There are more women in this category
⇒~16-18% of the population
Health achievers
Health aspirers
Hedonists
Characteristics of the different groups of senior citizens
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Characteristics of the different groups of adolescents
⇒Their parents are less health promoting
⇒They care more about tasteand convenience, less about healthiness
⇒They are the most satisfied with their bodies
⇒They do less sports
⇒More boys
⇒~40-50% of the population
⇒They care about healthiness in food choice (but less than achievers)
⇒They are the least satisfied with their health& bodies
⇒ Equal number of boys and girls
⇒~20% of the population
⇒Care much more about healthiness in their food choice
⇒They think that their parents buy enough fruits and vegetables
⇒They are less satisfied with their bodies (BMI is not higher)
⇒They do more sports and exercising
⇒More girls
⇒~30-40% of the population
Health achievers
Health aspirers
Hedonists
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Implications: Positioning
Health achievers
Health aspirers
Hedonists
Sat
isfa
ctio
n w
ith h
ealth,
body,
food
rela
ted life Satisfied
Unsatisfied
Dominant food choice criterion
Healthiness Taste/Convenience
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Implications: what do they want? (1)They want different things…
Health achievers
This is healthy? I want it!
Health aspirers
This is tasty? And healthy?? I want
it!
Hedonists
Don’t show me the healthy stuff, I want the tasty
one!!
Sat
isfa
ctio
n w
ith h
ealth,
body,
food
rela
ted life Satisfied
Unsatisfied
Dominant food choice criterion
Healthiness Taste/Convenience
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Implications (2): Longer term, social marketing
Happy & healthy
Sat
isfa
ctio
n w
ith h
ealth,
body,
food
rela
ted life Satisfied
Unsatisfied
Dominant food choice criterion
Healthiness Taste/Convenience
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Implications (3):Adolescent health achievers and aspirers
Develop convenient solutions for change maintenance
Build self confidence (”just eat it”)
Make it trendy and socially acceptable
Focus on fitness, sports and body image
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Implications (4): Greying health achievers and aspirers
Develop solutions that improve ”food related well-being”
”Life” rather than ”death” marketing
Make it ”natural”
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!