Behavioral Cluster Analysis of Food Consumption: Associations with Comparatively Healthier Food Choices

10.5580/2caf ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Choices

scholarly journals Consumer Readiness to Reduce Meat Consumption for the Purpose of Environmental Sustainability: Insights from Norway

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marthe Austgulen ◽  
Silje Skuland ◽  
Alexander Schjøll ◽  
Frode Alfnes
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Consumption Practices ◽  
Group Interviews

Food production is associated with various environmental impacts and the production of meat is highlighted as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. A transition toward plant-based and low-meat diets has thus been emphasised as an important contribution to reducing climate change. By combining results from a consumer survey, focus group interviews and an in-store field experiment, this article investigates whether Norwegian consumers are ready to make food choices based on what is environmentally sustainable. We ask how consumers perceive the environmental impacts of food consumption, whether they are willing and able to change their food consumption in a more climate-friendly direction, and what influences their perceptions and positions. The results show that there is uncertainty among consumers regarding what constitutes climate- or environmentally friendly food choices and that few consumers are motivated to change their food consumption patterns for climate- or environmental reasons. Consumers’ support to initiatives, such as eating less meat and increasing the prices of meat, are partly determined by the consumers’ existing value orientation and their existing consumption practices. Finally, we find that although providing information about the climate benefits of eating less meat has an effect on vegetable purchases, this does not seem to mobilise consumer action any more than the provision of information about the health benefits of eating less meat does. The article concludes that environmental policies aiming to transfer part of the responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to food consumers is being challenged by the fact that most consumers are still not ready to make food choices based on what is best for the climate or environment.

scholarly journals Effective Segmentation of Organic Food Consumers in Vietnam Using Food-Related Lifestyles

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Van Huy ◽  
Mai Chi ◽  
Antonio Lobo ◽  
Ninh Nguyen ◽  
Phan Long
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Organic Food Consumption ◽  
Food Safety And Quality ◽  
Practical Implications

The consumer purchase of environmentally friendly products like organic food is essential to environmental sustainability. This study applies the unique food-related lifestyles (FRL) approach to segment organic food consumers in Vietnam, a country in which there is increasing concern about food safety and quality. The FRL model was intentionally selected because it enables better understanding of how consumers employ food and its culinary aspects to achieve certain values in their lives. Data were obtained from 203 organic food consumers, and a two-step cluster analysis established three identifiable market segments which we named “Conservatives”, “Trendsetters”, and “Unengaged”. The Conservatives were interested in the health aspects of food and preferred natural products. The Trendsetters were interested in healthy food, liked to cook, and held a positive attitude toward organic food and local food products. The Unengaged consumers were not concerned about food-related issues, and they reported the least consumption of organic food. The findings of this study have important academic and practical implications for marketers, policymakers, organizations dealing with food, and socio-environmental organizations that aim to promote organic food consumption. Importantly, marketing efforts should focus on enhancing consumers’ knowledge about organic food and their love of cooking, as well as ensuring adequate availability of organic food.

Communicating GHG mitigating food consumption in-store

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (10) ◽  
pp. 1618-1635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Ekelund ◽  
Erik Hunter ◽  
Sara Spendrup ◽  
Heléne Tjärnemo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ghg Reduction

Purpose – Current food consumption patterns contribute negatively to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Positioned at the interface between producers and consumers, retailers have the potential to reduce this problem through informing their customers on the consequences of their actions. The purpose of this paper is to understand the variety of ways European retailers go about informing their customers on the linkage between food choice and climate change as well as which actions they advocate in-store to reduce the problem. Design/methodology/approach – In-store walkthroughs lasting between 40 minutes and 1.5 hours were carried out at 30 grocery stores in five European countries to identify climate mitigating communications. The observations targeted any message produced and transmitted by the retailer where links between food and climate change were drawn. Findings – The diversity in climate mitigating food communication we expected to find across Europe did not materialize. Only four out of the 30 retailers visited transmitted to their customers any information showing a direct link between food consumption and climate change. Indirectly, the authors found some retailers communicating food choices believed to lead to GHG reduction without linking them to climate change. Finally the authors found several retailers communicating what the authors argue are ambiguous messages to their customers where sustainability issues were confounded with climate ones. The dearth of climate mitigating food communications reveals the complexity in informing customers on such issues but also a possible lack of interest on the part of both parties. Originality/value – This research contributes empirically to knowledge of how retailers communicate climate mitigating food consumption to consumers.

scholarly journals On the interplay between educational attainment and nutrition: a spatially-aware perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Azizi Fard ◽  
Gianmarco De Francisci Morales ◽  
Yelena Mejova ◽  
Rossano Schifanella
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
High Educational Level ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Higher Educational Attainment

AbstractFood choices are an integral part of wellbeing and longevity, yet poor nutrition is responsible for millions of deaths every year. Among the complex mosaic of determinants of food choices are demographic, socioeconomic, physiological, and also cultural. In this work, we explore the connection between educational attainment, as a proxy for cultural capital, and food purchases, as a proxy for food consumption. Unlike existing studies, which use diaries and surveys, we use a large-scale dataset of food-related products purchased from a major retailer in London over the course of one year. By using this high-resolution dataset, we are able to explore the spatial dependence of the various factors impacting food choices, and estimate their direct and indirect spatial effects. We characterize food consumption across two complementary dimensions of (1) diet composition, and (2) diet variety. By building spatial auto-regressive models on these variables, we obtain an improved fit compared to traditional regression, and illustrate the importance of spillover effects. Our results consistently confirm the association between a higher educational attainment and a healthier diet, even when controlling for spatial correlation. First, a low educational level is connected to diets high in carbohydrates and low in fibers. Second, it is also associated with higher consumption of sweets and red meats, while high educational level is linked to a greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fish. Third, highly-educated areas show an increased nutritional diversity, together with a lower caloric intake. Finally, we show the presence of spillover effects within the neighboring communities, which would need to be taken in consideration when designing public health policies and interventions.

scholarly journals Understanding Food Preferences and Their Connection to Health Perception among Lean and Non-Lean Populations in a Rural State

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Mark Menghini ◽  
Reshmi Singh ◽  
Baskaran Thyagarajan
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Portion Size ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Spicy Food ◽  
Dietary Choices ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Rural State

Lipid metabolism and dietary choices directly affect the outcome of overall weight management in both lean and non-lean individuals. However, the perception of consuming spicy foods has diverse meaning among people. To understand this, it is essential to have thorough knowledge on how food preference is tied to health outcomes. The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of how food preference affects the health outcome and perception in lean and non-lean populations. A mixed methods study was conducted via analysis of consumers’ food choices and compared the data based on age, gender, and body weight. The participants in audio recorded interviews were comprised of residents from a single town in a rural state. The study shows that most participants were aware of the implications that food choices had on their health status and it emphasizes the importance of understanding the differences between consumption of spicy and non-spicy foods. Spicy food consumption was associated with decreased overall portion size as well as increased satisfaction following the meal. Environmental factors, such as the influence of family and friends, impacted spicy food consumption according to most participants. The outcome of the study provides a comprehensive understanding of food preferences from a relatively large exploratory study. The observations made here show rudimentary associations between physical attributes and levels of food consumption. Future studies could further identify how certain attributes relate to food choices and levels of spicy food consumption in greater detail.

scholarly journals Smak för hållbar utveckling?

2021 ◽  
pp. 130-157
Author(s):  
Lolita Gelinder
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Lower Secondary School ◽  
School Subject ◽  
School Students ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Teachers And Students

In the school subject Home- and Consumer Studies, the curriculum includes knowledge about sustainable food consumption, i.e. the students should learn to make sustainable food choices. Previous research has shown that taste is an important factor when people choose what to eat. The purpose of this study is to investigate teaching about sustainable food consumption, by focusing on how teachers and students talk about taste during foodwork, more specifically what meaning that is construed in relation to taste and how this content may be understood in relation to different perspectives on taste. Video data from two classes of Swedish lower secondary school students is analyzed using pragmatic discourse analysis methods. The results show that taste is mainly used in terms of taste assessments and thus provide an understanding of taste as something fixed and unchangeable. A transactional perspective on taste is suggested as an alternative, working with taste as something changeable and reflexive. In this way teaching can be a part in students developing new taste experiences, which is crucial for wanting to change eating habits, or for learning to eat new dishes, and foods, which will be required in order for people to make sustainable food choices.

scholarly journals Food and Mood: Exploring the determinants of food choices and the effects of food consumption on mood among women in Inner London.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-96
Author(s):  
Joanna Leeds ◽  
Regina Keith ◽  
Maria Woloshynowych
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Induced Mood ◽  
Effect Of Food

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between food and mood against the backdrop of increased mental health and nutrition cognizance within public health and scientific discourses. Mood was defined as encompassing positive or negative affect. Methodology: A constructionist qualitative approach underpinned this study. Convenience sampling in two faith-based settings was utilised for recruiting participants, who were aged 19-80 (median,48) years. In total 22 Christian women were included in the research, eighteen were in focus groups and four were in individual semi structured interviews. All were church-attending women in inner London. A thematic analysis was carried out, resulting in four central themes relating to food choice and food-induced mood states. Findings: Women identified a number of internal and external factors as influencing their food choices and the effect of food intake on their moods. Food choice was influenced by mood; mood was influenced by food choice. Low mood was associated with unhealthy food consumption, apparent addiction to certain foods and overeating. Improved mood was associated with more healthy eating and eating in social and familial settings. Discussion: Findings indicate food and mood are interconnected through a complex web of factors, as women respond to individual, environmental, cultural and social cues. Targeting socio-cultural and environmental influences and developing supportive public health services, via faith-based or community-based institutions could help to support more women in their struggle to manage the food and mood continuum. Successful implementation of health policies that recognise the psychological and social determinants of food choice and the effect of food consumption on mood, is essential, as is as more research into life-cycle causal factors linking food choice to mood.

Income and the Importance of Substitution

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
George C. Davis ◽  
Elena L. Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
The Relationship

Chapter 4 extends the analysis of Chapter 3 to allow for substitution possibilities between foods. It evaluates the possible changes in food consumption induced by a change in income relative to a nutrient or food recommendation level, allowing for substitution possibilities between foods. The framework is used to derive the Engle curve, which shows the relationship between income and food consumption. The chapter closes with some of the main empirical findings relating income to food choices and nutrition.

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