Predictors of parents’ infant vaccination decisions: A concept derivation

The myths surrounding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have prompted scientists to refocus their attention on vaccine hesitancy, which is fuelled by the spread of misinformation. The scientific investigation of behavioural concepts relating to vaccine hesitancy can be enhanced by the examination of behavioural concepts from the field of consumer sciences. South African consumer scientists study personal decisions that contribute to individuals’ well-being, including the decisions to prevent ill health. Current data on the predictors of vaccination decisions do not incorporate consumer science constructs imperative in decision-making, which could provide fresh insights in addressing vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to investigate and illustrate the analogy between concepts of the Health Belief Model (HBM) as parent model, and consumer behaviour that could affect parents’ infant vaccination decisions, by applying a concept derivation approach. The HBM was analysed within the context of public health, including literature from consumers’ vaccination decisions, medical decisions, paediatrics, vaccinology, virology and nursing. Through a qualitative, theory derivation strategy, six main concepts of the HBM were redefined to consumer sciences, using four iterative concept derivation steps. Concept derivation resulted in consumer behaviour concepts that could be possible predictors of parents’ infant vaccination decisions, including consumers’ values; risk perception; consideration of immediate and future consequences; self-efficacy; cues to action; demographics; personal information and knowledge. These predictors could be a starting point for a context- and product-specific consumer primary preventive healthcare decisions model. Our findings highlight the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in investigating consumer primary healthcare-related behaviour.Contribution: This study introduced interfaces between consumer science and health science literature. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, a better understanding of influences to promote primary preventive healthcare can be achieved.

Current Trends in Food Health and Safety in Cross-Cultural Sensory and Consumer Science

The global food and food technology market is in rapid growth, and food investment is central in many governments’ growth plans [...]

Children as food designers: The potential of co-creation to make the healthy choice the preferred one

According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century. In this context, finding ways to make the healthier food choices the preferred ones can be a valuable contribution to solving this multifaceted problem. Sensory and consumer science offers a wide range of tools that can support the development of healthy and well-accepted food alternatives. In traditional sensory and consumer science, children would be involved in the product development process either as testers or informants. However, in our opinion, it would be valuable to extend their role to co-creators or co-designers, an approach already more established in the field of innovation and design, where children actively participate in the idea generation and development of healthy food that they will like and choose. Our own experience has shown that involving children in the idea-generation step for healthy food can be highly motivating and stimulating for them. In this opinion article, we discuss why it is important to include children actively as a relevant consumer segment in product development and suggest a process and methods that could be valuable for brainstorming about food ideas with children.