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Driving Healthy Food Choices Among Consumers
Type
fundamental research project
Start Date
01 December 2008
End Date
30 November 2009
Status
completed
Keywords
consumer behavior
food choices
self control
bounded rationality
mental accounting
Description
The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. An energy imbalance in the population has been triggered by a dramatic reduction of physical activity in combination with an increased consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor food and beverages - containing high proportions of saturated as well as total fat, salt and sugar - along with insufficient consumption of fruit and vegetables.
The health consequences of overweight and obesity are many and varied, ranging from an increased risk of premature death to several non-fatal but debilitating complaints that adversely impact quality of life. In Switzerland, overweight, obesity and the resulting disabilities and diseases create enormous burdens of costs which are responsible for 5% of all health costs. Although consumers pursue long-term health objectives, oftern short-term situational factors affect individuals' food choice decisions.
It is understood that the overweight problem has been shaped in some measure by the marketing efforts of retailers and other providers of food products, and that the help of these same actors is needed to ameliorate the problem. The food industry is challenged to respond to these negative developments in consumer behavior by helping increase consumers' motivation to seek out healthful foods.
This research projects focuses on identifying the behavioral causes, specifically the role of self-control, bounded rationality, and mental accounting to explain consumers' food choices. Based on this analysis it is the objective to discuss implications as to how the food industry may successfully motivate healthy eating behavior among consumers and to derive implications for Marketing Communication.
The empirical findings are to foster academic knowledge about factors which influence consumers' food choices by incorporating elements from behavioral economcis into consumer decision making acknowledging that conflicting goals of an individual may influence consumers product decisions.
The health consequences of overweight and obesity are many and varied, ranging from an increased risk of premature death to several non-fatal but debilitating complaints that adversely impact quality of life. In Switzerland, overweight, obesity and the resulting disabilities and diseases create enormous burdens of costs which are responsible for 5% of all health costs. Although consumers pursue long-term health objectives, oftern short-term situational factors affect individuals' food choice decisions.
It is understood that the overweight problem has been shaped in some measure by the marketing efforts of retailers and other providers of food products, and that the help of these same actors is needed to ameliorate the problem. The food industry is challenged to respond to these negative developments in consumer behavior by helping increase consumers' motivation to seek out healthful foods.
This research projects focuses on identifying the behavioral causes, specifically the role of self-control, bounded rationality, and mental accounting to explain consumers' food choices. Based on this analysis it is the objective to discuss implications as to how the food industry may successfully motivate healthy eating behavior among consumers and to derive implications for Marketing Communication.
The empirical findings are to foster academic knowledge about factors which influence consumers' food choices by incorporating elements from behavioral economcis into consumer decision making acknowledging that conflicting goals of an individual may influence consumers product decisions.
Leader contributor(s)
Member contributor(s)
Glas, Alexandra
Funder(s)
Topic(s)
food choices
time preference
self-control
anchoring framing effects
mental accounting
Method(s)
quantitative methods
Range
Institute/School
Range (De)
Institut/School
Division(s)
Eprints ID
49272