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Even though the key drive for eating is hunger, what one chooses to eat is not determined solely by physiological or nutritional needs. Consumers make their purchasing decisions based on a number of factors, hence the need for greater understanding of these determinants to facilitate outcome of successful interventions. The study was to investigate...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... respondents 259 (42.0%) were influenced by cost attributed that to insufficient funds. Majority 232 (37.7%) of respondents assessed food product well before purchase, thus were mostly influenced by time positively (Table 3). Majority of the participants 413 (67.7%) were satisfied with their perceived body size (weight) as participants 459 (75.2%) perceived they had normal weight and did not affect their food choice. ...Context 2
... educated to the secondary level and above were less likely to be influenced by advertisement of product compared to the ones with primary or no education at all (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29-0.94; p = 0.031) (Table 3).There were no significant influence by label information and cost of product on respondents across their socio-demographic strata though males were about 10% less likely to be influenced by label information compared to females (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.63-1.22; p = 0.427). ...Similar publications
Context
Reducing population intakes of sugar has become a focus of many national and international public health policies. Packaged foods and beverages are key contributors to sugar intakes, and food labels can be an effective tool to reduce sugar consumption.
Objective
The aim of this systematic review was to examine the influence of sugar label...
Citations
... The content the media puts out to the public hugely determines consumers' decisions on food in terms of cost, perceived quality, and appearance. 4 They collect and disseminate information while providing oversight of regulatory institutions' operations and are usually eager to influence opinions on public issues. 3,5 Indeed, most government intervention programs, including those in agriculture, gained prominence when they were adequately publicized by the media. ...
Ghana’s parliament in 2011 passed the Biosafety Act to allow for the application of genetically modified organism (GMO) technology in the country’s agriculture. In a vibrant democracy, there have been extensive media discussions on whether GM crops will benefit or harm citizens. In June 2022, the state GMO regulator, the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), approved the country’s first GM crop (Bt cowpea) for environmental release, declaring the crop does not present an altered environmental risk or a food/feed safety concern. This study identified 3 of the country’s most vibrant digital news outlets and did a content analysis of all GMO stories reported 18 months pre- and post-approval to assess whether the approval changed the focus of GMO issues the media reports on. 91 articles were identified. The results show media reports on the likely impact of GMOs on the country’s food security shot up after the approval. However, media reports on the possible health, sociocultural, and environmental impact of GMOs declined. We observe the media and the public appear interested in deliberations on how the technology could address or worsen food insecurity and urge agricultural biotechnology actors in Ghana to focus on that in their sensitization activities.
... Individuals' eating habits have changed due to their shifting lifestyles (Dowarah, Bhowmic & Chakraborty, 2020). Food purchasing decisions by consumers are dependent on several factors, therefore there is the need for deeper understanding of these determinants to enhance outcome of successful interventions (Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, & Sakyi-Dawson, 2015). ...
... According to Kalog, Kasim, Anyebuno, et al. (2022), consumers are exposed to a wide range of advertisements through different channels daily, which tends to have an influence on their food decision making. Through advertisements, factors such as perceived quality of product, appearance, convenience, and cost, greatly determine a consumer's food decision making (Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu & Sakyi-Dawson, 2015). ...
In an era of shifting cultural, economic, and dietary landscapes, the study of food spending habits has become extremely important. There is a lack of comprehensive studies on the financial constraints faced by students and how these limitations impact on their food spending choices. This study examines the underlying factors and determinants that influence the food spending habits of students within the context of higher education. The main objective of this study was to examine the antecedents of students’ food spending habits. A set of questionnaires was distributed to 107 students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam and analyzed. The result demonstrated that all independent variables (promotional advertisements, personal preferences, and cultural trends) tested in this study have a significant impact on students' food spending habits. Findings from this study would be beneficial to policymakers, businesses in the food industry, and educational institutions in promoting healthier and sustainable food spending habits among students. Hence, it is expected that it can provide valuable insights into various aspects of an individual’s life and the broader economy.
... A total of 15 closed-ended questions were added in the last portion of the questionnaire based on basic nutrition knowledge. Basic nutrition knowledge includes a fact panel, knowledge on appropriate dietary intake, and lifestyle habits [18][19]. There were only two options (zero and one, wherein zero was the wrong answer and one was the right answer), so the range of the lowest and highest possible score by a single participant was designated from zero to 15 [20]. ...
Objective: This study was aimed at identifying the sources and basic nutrition knowledge among the citizens of Lahore.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the metropolis city of Lahore, Pakistan. Four hundred and seventy-six adult citizens of Lahore participated. A random sampling method was used to collect data through a food frequency questionnaire consisting of 23 questions. The questionnaire designed for this study contained questions about demographics, sources of nutrition information, the reliability of these sources of nutrition information, and basic nutrition knowledge. The highest possible score of the questionnaire was marked as 15, and a mean value of 7.5 was used to categorize the low and high values for variables like nutrition knowledge.
Results: The majority of participants (34.2%) took nutrition information from their families, healthcare professionals (23.9%), and online resources (23.5%). The most reliable source for nutrition information was healthcare professionals (78.6%). Many participants (65.30%) had high nutrition-related basic knowledge, and 34.70% had low knowledge. Although more than 50% of participants reported having high nutrition knowledge, but they were not aware of how to read food labels. Those citizens who referred to online resources for information about nutrition knowledge usually got better results regarding nutrition knowledge.
Conclusion: There is a need for more extensive research to identify the quality of sources for nutrition information to form better policies and plans that can be integrated and adopted at the community and national levels to increase the overall nutrition knowledge of people.
... 3. A total of 15 closed ended questions were added in the last portion of the questionnaire based on the basic nutrition knowledge. Basic nutrition knowledge including facts panel, knowledge on appropriate dietary intake and lifestyle habits was covered in questions (Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, and Sakyi-Dawson 2013;Motadi, Mbhatsani, and Shilote 2016). There were only two options (0 and 1 -0 for wrong answer and 1 for the right answer) so the range of the lowest and the highest possible score by a single participant was designated as 0 and 15 (Argôlo et al. 2018). ...
This study was aimed at identifying the sources and basic nutrition knowledge among citizens of Lahore. A random sampling method was used to collect data from 476 people living in Lahore through a survey questionnaire consisting of 23 questions. The questionnaire designed in this study contained questions about demographics, sources of nutrition information and media responsible for the dissemination of information including online resources, e.g. Google and YouTube and traditional media, e.g. Radio, television and newspapers etc. The highest possible score of the questionnaire was marked as 15. Out of total 15 points, mean score of 476 participants was 10.89. Majority of participants (34.2%) took nutrition information from their families, leaving behind healthcare professionals (23.9%) and online resources (23.5%). The most reliable source for nutrition information was healthcare professionals (78.6%). Majority of the participants (65.30%) had high nutrition related basic knowledge and 34.70% had low knowledge. There is a need for more extensive research to rightly identify and analyse the quality of the sources that provide nutrition information so that there are better policies and plans integrated and adopted at the community level as well as national level to increase the overall nutrition knowledge of people.
... Variations in the socio-cultural setting include long work hours, inactive lifestyles, globalization and urbanization, rise in income levels and decrease in household cooking [15]. Even though the health of an individual is valued as a key driver of such human behaviour, efforts aimed at informing consumers about the relationship between their choice of diets and health in order to influence their eating patterns or food choices have been very challenging [11]. Though the major determinant for eating is hunger, what an individual chooses to eat is not solely driven by physiological or nutritional needs [11]. ...
... Even though the health of an individual is valued as a key driver of such human behaviour, efforts aimed at informing consumers about the relationship between their choice of diets and health in order to influence their eating patterns or food choices have been very challenging [11]. Though the major determinant for eating is hunger, what an individual chooses to eat is not solely driven by physiological or nutritional needs [11]. ...
... Food purchasing decisions by consumers are dependent on several factors, therefore there is the need for deeper understanding of these determinants to enhance outcome of successful interventions [11]. Within the food environment there is an increasing spate of advertisement of food which could have varying influences on people. ...
Background
Consumers are exposed to a wide range of advertisements through different channels daily, which tends to have an influence on their food decision making. The aim of this study was to evaluate the different forms of food advertisements students are exposed to on campus and how they influence their food choices and nutritional status.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the influence of different forms of food advertisements on students’ food choices and nutritional status. A self-reported semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses from 367 students. About 51.5% of the students were females and 48.5% males. Body Mass index (BMI) was derived from weight and height measured according to standard procedures. Data was analysed and presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square was used to determine association between categorical variables (socio-demographic characteristics, food choices and nutritional status).
Results
The students reported ‘use of internet’ (58.9%) as the main source of food advertisement on campus, followed by television (21.0%). A large number of students (74.9%) were affirmative about food advertisements influencing their food decision making. Those with poor nutritional status (underweight, overweight and obese) were more likely to patronize sugar sweetened beverages (10.1%) as compared to fruits and vegetables (1.4%). There was statistical significance ( p = 0.003) for type of food patronized due to advertisement and the source of advertisement. However, there was no statistical significance ( p = 0.832) for type of food patronized due to advertisement and BMI of students.
Conclusion
Owing to the increased patronage of internet and television as channels of food advertisements by students, policy makers should prioritize the designing and implementation of intervention programmes through these channels that would influence healthy food decision making and promote consumption of nutrient rich foods. As this population has high self-reported advertisements’ influence on food choices, it is vital to investigate further the influence of contextual cues such as environment and advertisement on their eating habits and dietary patterns.
... For urban dwellers and communities depending on food markets, cost and affordability influence the degree to which food choices are constrained by market food prices relative to household income (Boatemaa et al., 2018;Stokes-Walters et al., 2021;Sulaiman and Pei Sin, 2011), or cost of alternative food items (Ahmad, 2020;Cabral et al., 2019;Honkanen and Frewer, 2009;Kibr et al., 2020). In terms of food convenience, time expenditure for food procurement, preparation and cooking affect decisions and purchase intentions for desired foods (Bailey et al., 2018;Haghighian Roudsari et al., 2017) in favor of quick cooking foods (Masilamani and Sundaram, 2012) and pre-made foods (Hayford et al., 2013). Food labelling and nutritional information may influence food demand and individual preferences (Darkwa, 2014;Hayford et al., 2013;Marina et al., 2020;Yardimci and Koç, 2019;Zhang et al., 2019). ...
... In terms of food convenience, time expenditure for food procurement, preparation and cooking affect decisions and purchase intentions for desired foods (Bailey et al., 2018;Haghighian Roudsari et al., 2017) in favor of quick cooking foods (Masilamani and Sundaram, 2012) and pre-made foods (Hayford et al., 2013). Food labelling and nutritional information may influence food demand and individual preferences (Darkwa, 2014;Hayford et al., 2013;Marina et al., 2020;Yardimci and Koç, 2019;Zhang et al., 2019). Advertisements, food logos and brand awareness have also been found to enhance the sensation of hunger, and stimulate appetite hormones for ultra-processed foods and non-core food products (Dos Santos and De Rose, 2018;Feteira-Santos et al., 2020;Ng et al., 2015a,b). ...
Understanding individual-based motives governing food choice is necessary to design appropriate interventions and support food systems consistent with consumer characteristics, preferences and values. We used a systematic mapping approach to identify and systematize available evidence on drivers of food choice in low- and middle-income countries. We identified a list of forty (40) individual-based motives which were sorted into seven (7) clusters with a focus on health and nutrition perceptions, psychological factors, sociocultural factors, sensory appeal, social interactions, socio-demographic variables, and ethical concerns. We mapped the clusters and dimensions of the food environment, as well as the geographical locations of the reviewed studies. Most studies focused on adults and women in particular, especially those investigating the role of cultural-based food taboos and diet restrictions. Studies related to the dimensions of the food environment focused on food affordability, convenience, food availability and promotional information. Sub-Saharan Africa was the most studied region for understanding drivers of food choice followed by East Asia and Pacific and South Asia. Heatmaps of the current evidence across rural-urban landscapes revealed that existing studies are skewed towards urban settings with a dearth of studies in rural and peri-urban contexts. Based on our review, we highlight areas for future research such as food safety and ethical concerns for environmental sustainability, food waste, and animal welfare. There is a need for systemic research frameworks that contextually appreciate rural-urban and consumer-producer linkages, to inform a leverage point for more targeted interventions in promotion of healthier diets.
... [75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88] Ghana has seven research studies examining effects of food labelling on consumer attitudes and/or behaviour. [89][90][91][92][93][94][95] Kenya has no identified studies of food labelling, with only partially relevant studies on food composition and consumer perceptions. [96][97][98] Across both Ghana and Kenya, therefore, data specifically on effect of health claims is comparatively sparse. ...
... Conversely, inappropriately connecting a food, food component or nutrient to desired health may counter public health objectives. 103 Seven studies from Ghana examine how food labelling impacts upon consumer attitudes/behaviour, [89][90][91][92][93][94][95] with three studies identified from Kenya (Table 3). [96][97][98] Notwithstanding an extensive international literature, [77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]111 the need for more contextsensitive research recurs across included papers. ...
... Ghanaian consumers are influenced by product price (cost), time (convenience), adverts, label information, expiry data, nutritional information, ingredients, taste and appearance. 89,93 African studies report that price is paramount when selecting food products, irrespective of quality and nutritional value. 106 In Kenya, geographical origin may be influential. ...
Background:
Obesity and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NR-NCDs) are increasing throughout Africa, driven by urbanisation and changing food environments. Policy action has been limited - and influenced by high income countries. Socio-economic/political environments of African food systems must be considered in order to understand what policy might work to prevent NR-NCDs, for whom, and under what circumstances.
Methods:
A realist synthesis of five policy areas to support healthier food consumption in urban Africa: regulating trade/foreign investment; regulating health/nutrition claims/labels; setting composition standards for processed foods; restricting unhealthy food marketing; and school food policy. We drew upon Ghana and Kenya to contextualise the evidence base. Programme theories were generated by stakeholders in Ghana/Kenya. A two-stage search interrogated MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus. Programme theories were tested and refined to produce a synthesised model.
Results:
The five policies operate through complex, inter-connected pathways moderated by global-, national- and local contexts. Consumers and the food environment interact to enable/disable food accessibility, affordability and availability. Consumer relationships with each other and retailers are important contextual influences, along with political/ economic interests, stakeholder alliances and globalized trade. Coherent laws/regulatory frameworks and government capacities are fundamental across all policies. The increasing importance of convenience is shaped by demographic and sociocultural drivers. Awareness of healthy diets mediates food consumption through comprehension, education, literacy and beliefs. Contextualised data (especially food composition data) and inter-sectoral collaboration are critical to policy implementation.
Conclusion:
Evidence indicates that coherent action across the five policy areas could positively influence the healthiness of food environments and consumption in urban Africa. However, drivers of (un)healthy food environments and consumption reflect the complex interplay of socio-economic and political drivers acting at diverse geographical levels. Stakeholders at local, national, and global levels have important, yet differing, roles to play in ensuring healthy food environments and consumption in urban Africa.
... Previous studies showed that several drivers influence human food choice and they included meal healthiness, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, food ingredients, price, weight control, ethical concern and religion influence (Asma et al. 2010;Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, and Sakyi-Dawson 2015;Miloševic et al. 2012;Soyer, Ergink, and Gursoy 2008;Sushma et al. 2014;Suzannah et al. 2013). The association between socioeconomic and demographic variables and drivers of food choice were reported by different scholars (Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, and Sakyi-Dawson 2015;Miloševic et al. 2012;Naughton, Sinéad, and Mary 2015;Suzannah et al. 2013). ...
... Previous studies showed that several drivers influence human food choice and they included meal healthiness, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, food ingredients, price, weight control, ethical concern and religion influence (Asma et al. 2010;Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, and Sakyi-Dawson 2015;Miloševic et al. 2012;Soyer, Ergink, and Gursoy 2008;Sushma et al. 2014;Suzannah et al. 2013). The association between socioeconomic and demographic variables and drivers of food choice were reported by different scholars (Hayford, Steiner-Asiedu, and Sakyi-Dawson 2015;Miloševic et al. 2012;Naughton, Sinéad, and Mary 2015;Suzannah et al. 2013). Lactating women are considered as a nutritionally vulnerable group (South Africa guidelines on maternal nutrition 2013) and subjected to nutritional stress due to their nursing process (Paula 2006). ...
Understanding the drivers of food choice is essential to guide the nutrition interventions and tailor nutrition counseling messages. There is strong evidence from a published study, which demonstrate attention for the need to consider the wide range of drivers during food choice. Due to the large variety of food products on the market, consumers make a multitude of food choice daily. The study aimed to assess major motivational drivers of food choice among randomly selected lactating women aged 15-49 years (423) from Debrebirhan Town using face to face interview. Logistic regression analysis was used to find association b/socio-economic variables and motivational drivers of food choice using SPSS version 20. Candidate variables were selected and transferred using the P- a value of less than 0.25, and AOR was reported. Variables with a P-value less than 0.05 on multiple variable logistic regressions were taken as significant variables. Influences of religion, price, preparation convenience, health value and taste during food choice were responded by above half of women. From logistic regression, 15-25 years' age and self-employed were linked to religious influence in food choice with AOR (95%CI) of 0.09(0.01-0.48) and 4.13(1.4-12.24). Age (15-25 and 26-35 years), education (no, primary and secondary) and being housewife were associated to choosing of foods for their health value with AOR (95%CI) of 0.26(0.12-0.6), 0.37(0.18-0.76), 0.14(0.04-0.42), 0.25(0.13-0.54), 0.33(0.17-0.66) and 2.5(1.23-5). Only family size (2-4 vs.>4 persons) was associated with price concern in food choice with AOR (95%CI) of 0.39(0.21-0.71). Being divorced, husband headed, 7-12 and13-18 month lactation period, 15-25 and 26-35 years' age were related to preparation convenience of foods with AOR (95%CI) of 5.94(1.13-31.33), 0.42(0.18-0.96), 3.26(1.34-7.93), 4.4(1.81-10.72), 0.16(0.05-0.47) and 0.25(0.11-0.59). Self-management approaches by nutrition education and promotion to change eating behaviors of women, increasing supply and price regulation toward healthy foods are recommended.
... Prices affect consumers purchasing decisions, especially in a low-or middle-income country (Payab et al., 2015). Existing data are suggestive that, Ghanaian consumers are influenced by product price (cost), time (convenience), adverts, ingredients, taste and appearance than healthiness (Ababio et al, 2012;Hayford et al, 2015;Darkwa, 2014). Thus cash incentives or discounts for healthy foods could be most effective policy to reduce unhealthy food consumption (Flores and Rivas, 2017). ...
Background It is argued, rather controversially, that shopping malls and fast food outlets promote unhealthy foods more heavily than healthy ones. Promotional flyers are one of many strategies usually deployed to influence purchasing behaviours. We aimed to assess the healthiness of foods on promotional flyers of food outlets located within shopping malls in Ghana’s capital city, Accra. Methods We conducted a content analysis of promotional flyers obtained from all fast food outlets located within Accra-based shopping malls. Food promotions on flyers (n=32) were sampled using a composite week sampling technique. Collected via mystery shopping, all promoted foods were evaluated for healthiness. Healthy foods/food groups were defined as products which help prevent diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Results All (100%) of the foods (n=79) on the promoted flyers were unhealthy–comprising high sodium/saturated fats (n=36), high sodium exclusively (n=40) and high in added sugar foods (n=3). These unhealthy foods were greatly discounted (average percentage discount was 27.5%). This price benefit (54.0%) and puffery size (34.0%) were the major claims associated with the promoted foods. Conclusions Our data show that food outlets within Accra-based shopping malls promote via flyers unhealthy food items that are greatly discounted. This strategy may influence purchasing behaviour and consumption. The causal relationship between the promotion of unhealthy foods and NCDs deserves evaluation in Ghana.
... The usage of the nutrition facts panel is strongly associated with making healthy food choices [26]. Nutrition facts panels specially offer information on the nutritional content of packaged foods, and it is important to understand the provided information [27,28]. The usage of nutrition facts panel was low among the study participants, indicating the need for usage of nutrition facts panel and understanding of that information. ...
Objectives
The increasing prevalence of malnutrition among school-going adolescents is a major public health threat in Bangladesh. School studying adolescents are a crucial group suffering from malnutrition. Proper nutrition information can enrich their knowledge, promote their health and also minimize the burden of malnutrition. The study aimed to identify the sources of information and corresponding knowledge level on nutrition among school-going adolescents in Bangladesh.
Study design
A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out from January to August 2019.
Methods
A pre-structured questionnaire having 13 validated questions regarding facts panel of packaged food and daily dietary habits was used to assess the knowledge. Scores on nutritional knowledge were calculated by summing up the answer values (Yes=1, No=0) and, scores below the overall mean were considered low. Logistic regression was employed to identify whether any source was related to respondents’ nutritional knowledge.
Results
Family members were the most popular (52.4%) source of nutrition information. Majority students (43.2%) trusted professionals as an accurate source. Approximately half (49.1%) of the participants scored low (<9.34) in basic nutrition knowledge assessment. Participants seeking information from family members (AOR: 0.693; 95% CI: 0.555–0.866, p<0.05) and online resources (AOR: 0.826, 95% CI: 0.710–0.962, p<0.05) were less likely to obtain low scores than those not favored the sources.
Conclusion
Knowledge about essential nutrition among school-going adolescents was quite low. The findings of this study are useful to the policymakers to develop and design interventions to improve adolescents’ knowledge of nutrition. A school-based nutrition awareness program can be introduced to reduce malnutrition among adolescents in Bangladesh.
