Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Social marketing and healthy eating: findings from young people in Greece

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Greece has high rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases owing to poor dietary choices. This research provides lessons for social marketing to tackle the severe nutrition-related problems in this country by obtaining insight into the eating behaviour of young adults aged 18–23. Also, the main behavioural theories used to inform the research are critically discussed. The research was conducted in Athens. Nine focus groups with young adults from eight educational institutions were conducted and fifty-nine participants’ views towards eating habits, healthy eating and the factors that affect their food choices were explored. The study found that the participants adopted unhealthier nutritional habits after enrolment. Motivations for healthy eating were good health, appearance and psychological consequences, while barriers included lack of time, fast-food availability and taste, peer pressure, lack of knowledge and lack of family support. Participants reported lack of supportive environments when deciding on food choices. Based on the findings, recommendations about the development of the basic 4Ps of the marketing mix, as well as of a fifth P, for Policy are proposed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, J., & White, M. (2005). Why don’t stage-based activity promotion interventions work? Health Education Research, 20(2), 237–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aristidis Daskalopoulos Foundation. (2006). The nutrition of the Greek Population Nowadays. Athens: Aristidis Daskalopoulos Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arvaniti, F., Panagiotakos, D. B., Pitsavos, C., Zampelas, A., & Stefanadis, C. (2006). Dietary habits in a Greek sample of men and women: the ATTICA study. Central European Journal of Public Health, 14(2), 74–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aschemann-Witzel, J., Perez-Cueto, J. A. F., Niedzwiedzka, B., Verbeke, W., & Bech-Larsen, T. (2012). Transferability of private food marketing success factors to public food and health policy: An expert Delphi survey. Food Policy, 37(6), 650–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asp, E. H. (1999). Factors affecting food decisions made by individual consumers. Food Policy, 24(2–3), 287–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aunger, R., & Curtis, V. (2007). Consolidating Behaviour Change Theory. LSHTM/Hygiene Centre for Unilever PLC.

  • Bagozzi, R. (1975). Marketing as exchange. Journal of Marketing, 39(4), 32–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 248–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, R. (2008). Doing focus groups (Sage Qualitative Research Kit Series). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, L. J., Hackett, A. F., & Maxwell, S. M. (2004). The dietary and health behaviour of young people aged 18–25 years living independently or in the family home in Liverpool, UK. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 28(4), 355–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burchell, K., Rettie, R., & Patel, K. (2013). Marketing social norms: Social marketing and the ‘social norm approach’. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 12(1), 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caraher, M., & Coveney, J. (2004). Public health nutrition and food policy. Public Health Nutrition, 7(5), 591–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carins, J. E., & Rundle-Thiele, S. R. (2013). Eating for the better: A social marketing review (2000–2012) (pp. 1–12). FirstView: Public Health Nutrition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A., Craypo, L., & Samuels, S. (2000). Evaluating nutrition and physical activity social marketing campaigns: A review of the literature for use in community campaigns. Davis: Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing, University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carson, D. G., Gilmore, A., Perry, C., & Gronhaug, K. (2001). Qualitative Marketing Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Social Marketing Centre. (2006). It’s our health! Realising the potential of effective social marketing. London: NSMC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandon, P., & Wansink, B. (2012). Does food marketing need to make us fat? A review and solutions. Nutrition Reviews, 70(10), 571–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. (2007). The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 Years. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(4), 370–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohane, G. H., & Pope, H. G. (2001). Body image in boys: A review of the literature. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29(4), 373–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Contento, I., Williams, S., Michela, J., & Franklin, A. (2006). Understanding the food choice process of adolescents in the context of family and friends. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38(5), 575–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed.). Thaousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahlgren, G., & Whitehead, M. (1991). Policies and strategies to promote social equity in health. Stockholm: Institute for Future Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darnton, A. (2008). Reference Report: An overview of behaviour change models and their uses. GSR Behaviour Change Knowledge Review. University of Westminster: Centre for Sustainable Development.

  • Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, S. Y. (2008). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, P., & Vartiainen, H. (2007). Behavioral economics and its applications. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, B., Kellard, K., & Talbot, D. (2000). A recipe for success? an evaluation of a community food project. Loughborough: Loughborough University Centre for Research in Social Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domegan, C., Suggs, L. S., & Moreira, P. (2012). Social marketing in Europe: exploring innovative approaches to health and behaviour change. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 5(4), 231–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dooris, M., & Doherty, S. (2009). National research and development project on healthy universities. Preston: University of Central Lancashire.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drewnowski, A. (1997). Taste preferences and food intake. Annual Review of Nutrition, 17(1), 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fotiadou, M. N., & Hassapidou, E. (2001). Dietary intakes and food habits of adolescents in Northern Greece. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 52(2), 109–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French, J. (2008). HSJ tackling obesity presentation. London: NSMC.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, J. & Blair-Stevens, C. (2006). Social Marketing National Benchmark Criteria. London: UK National Social Marketing Centre. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/sgp/A328466.pdf. Accessed 18 November 2013

  • Friestad, M., & Wright, P. (1994). The persuasion knowledge model: How people cope with persuasion attempts. Journal of Consumer Research, 21(1), 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, R. (2013). Unlocking the potential of upstream social marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 47(9), 1525–1547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gracia-Marco, L., Vicente-Rodriguez, G., Borys, J., Le Bodo, Y., Pettigrew, S., & Moreno, L. (2010). Contribution of social marketing strategies to community-based obesity prevention programmes in children. International Journal of Obesity, 35(4), 472–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gregson, J. (2001). System, environmental, and policy changes: using the social-ecological model as a framework for evaluating nutrition education and social marketing programs with low-income audiences. Journal of Nutrition Education, 33(1), 4–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grier, S. A., & Kumanyika, S. K. (2008). The context for choice: health implications of targeted food and beverage marketing to African Americans. American Journal of Public Health, 98(9), 1616–1629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, T. J. (1998). Heuristic judgment theory. Journal of Economic Issues, 32(1), 47–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G. (2003). Competition in social marketing. Social Marketing Quarterly, 9(3), 6–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G. (2007a). Social marketing: Why should the devil have all the best tunes? Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G. (2007b). The diaspora has already begun. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 25(2), 117–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G. (2013). The marketing matrix: How the corporation gets its power - and how we can reclaim it. Oxon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G., & Haywood, A. J. (1994). Social marketing: a critical response. Health Promotion International, 9(1), 59–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G., & Saren, M. (2003). The critical contribution of social marketing: theory and application. Marketing Theory, 3(3), 305–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes, C. (2005). The role of foreign direct investment in the nutrition transition. Public Health Nutrition, 8(04), 357–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes, C. (2008). Dietary implications of supermarket development: a global perspective. Development Policy Review, 26(6), 657–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoek, J., & Jones, C. S. (2011). Regulation, public health and social marketing: a behaviour change trinity. Journal of Social Marketing, 1(1), 32–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M., Craft, J., & Zibrik, L. (2010). Government communication and democratic governance: electoral and policy-related information campaigns in Canada. Policy and Society, 29(1), 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • INKA. (2008). Children nutrition-panhellenic research on the nutritional habits of students. INKA Newsletter, 4–5.

  • Jackson, T. (2005). Motivating sustainable consumption: A review of evidence on consumer behaviour and behavioural change. A report to the sustainable development research network. London: SDRN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janz, N. K., & Becker, M. H. (1984). The health belief model: a decade later. Health education quarterly, 11(1), 1–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kafatos, A., Verhagen, H., Moschandreas, J., Apostolaki, I., & Westerop, J. J. M. V. (2000). Mediterranean diet of Crete: foods and nutrient content. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100(12), 1487–1493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirchhoff, S., Smyth, H., Sanderson, J., Sultanbawa, Y., & Gething, K. (2011). Increasing vegetable consumption: a means-end chain approach. British Food Journal, 113(8), 1031–1044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmani, A., & Zhu, R. (2007). Vigilant Against Manipulation: The Effect of Regulatory Focus on the Use of Persuasion Knowledge. Journal of Marketing Research, 44(4), 688–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotler, P., & Lee, N. (2008). Social marketing: Influencing behaviors for good. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, R., & Casey, M. (2000). Focus Groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lagarde, F., Lotenberg, L. D., Albion, M., & Hastings, G. (2007). It’s All about the customer … and the context. Social Marketing Quarterly, 13(3), 51–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lagiou, P., & Trichopoulou, A. (2001). The DAFNE initiative: the methodology for assessing dietary patterns across Europe using household budget survey data. Public Health Nutrition, 4(5b), 1135–1141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, N., Dibsdall, L. A., & Frewer, L. J. (2002). Poor diet and smoking: the big killers. British Food Journal, 104(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang, T. (2005). What is Food and Farming for? – The (Re)Emergence of Health as a Key Policy Driver. In F. H. Buttel, & P. McMichael (Eds.), New Directions in the Sociology of Global Development (Vol. Volume 11, pp. 123–144, Research in Rural Sociology and Development): Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

  • Lang, T., & Heasman, M. (2004). Food wars: The global battle for mouths, minds and markets. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, T., Barling, D., & Caraher, M. (2009). Food policy: Integrating health, environment & society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2001). Theories and models in social marketing. In P. N. Bloom & G. T. Gundlach (Eds.), Handbook of marketing and society (pp. 506–518). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2003). Emerging Innovations: what have we learned? Social Marketing Quarterly, 9(3), 27–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2007). The new technology: the consumer as participant rather than target audience. Social Marketing Quarterly, 13(3), 31–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2011). An integrative model for social marketing. Journal of Social Marketing, 1(1), 54–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2012). Transformative social marketing: co-creating the social marketing discipline and brand. Journal of Social Marketing, 2(2), 118–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre, R. C. (2013). Social marketing and social change: Strategies and tools for health, well-being, and the environment. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, C., Horne, P., Tapper, K., Bowdery, M., & Egerton, C. (2004). Effects of a peer modelling and rewards based intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption to children. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58(3), 510–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luca, N. R., & Suggs, L. S. (2012). Theory and model use in social marketing health interventions. Journal of Health Communication, 18(1), 20–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niblett, G. R. (2007). It’s all about the customer: context for the 11th annual innovations in social marketing conference. Social Marketing Quarterly, 13(3), 6–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD.stat (2012). Non-Medical Determinants of Health. http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_LNVG#. Accessed 7 April 2013

  • Panagiotakos, D. B., Pitsavos, C., Arvaniti, F., & Stefanadis, C. (2007). Adherence to the Mediterranean food pattern predicts the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and obesity, among healthy adults; the accuracy of the MedDietScore. Preventive Medicine, 44(4), 335–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadaki, A., Hondros, G., Scott, J., & Kapsokefalou, M. (2007). Eating habits of university students living at, or away from home in Greece. Appetite, 49(1), 169–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Popkin, B. (2006). Global nutrition dynamics: the world is shifting rapidly toward a diet linked with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(2), 289–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Psaltopoulou, T., Naska, A., Orfanos, P., Trichopoulos, D., Mountokalakis, T., & Trichopoulou, A. (2004). Olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, and arterial blood pressure: the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(4), 1012–1018.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, A., Kattelmann, K. K., & Ren, C. (2006). Motivating 18- to 24-year-olds to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(9), 1405–1411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riddell, L. J., Ang, B., Keast, R. S. J., & Hunter, W. (2011). Impact of living arrangements and nationality on food habits and nutrient intakes in young adults. Appetite, 56(3), 726–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, N. (1999). The use of focus group methodology - with selected examples from sexual health research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29(4), 905–913.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, B., Harker, M., Harker, D., & Reinhard, K. (2009). Living independently and the impact on young adult eating behaviour in Germany. British Food Journal, 111(4–5), 436–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, J., Harden, A., Rees, R., Brunton, G., Garcia, J., Oliver, S., et al. (2006). Young people and healthy eating: a systematic review of research on barriers and facilitators. Health Education Research, 21(2), 239–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E. (2010). Beyond the ABC: climate change policy and theories of social change. Environment and Planning A, 42(6), 1273–1285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, D. (2003). Doing qualitative research, a practical handbook. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, B. (2007). Why don’t we ever ask what rich people need? Social Marketing Quarterly, 13(4), 113–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stead, M., Gordon, R., Angus, K., & McDermott, L. (2007). A systematic review of social marketing effectiveness. Health Education, 107(2), 126–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stead, M., McDermott, L., MacKintosh, A. M., & Adamson, A. (2011). Why healthy eating is bad for young people’s health: identity, belonging and food. Social Science & Medicine, 72(7), 1131–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swinburn, B., Gill, T., & Kumanyika, S. (2005). Obesity prevention: a proposed framework for translating evidence into action. Obesity Reviews, 6(1), 23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornley, L., Quigley, R., Watts, C., Conland, C., Meikle, R., & Ball, J. (2007). Healthy eating: Rapid evidence review of nutrition social marketing interventions to prevent obesity. Wellington: Health Sponsorship Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorpe, A., Merritt, R., Mcvey, D., & Truss, A. (2008). What next for social marketing – developing “superman” or a sustainable system? Social Marketing Quarterly, 14(1), 63–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trichopoulou, A., Orfanos, P., Norat, T., Bueno-de-Mesquita, B., Ocké, M. C., Peeters, P. H., et al. (2005). Modified Mediterranean diet and survival: EPIC-elderly prospective cohort study. BMJ, 330(7498), 991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsouros, A. D., Dowding, G., Thompson, J., & Dooris, M. (1998). Health promoting universities, concept, experience and framework for action. Copenhagen: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walls, H., Peeters, A., Proietto, J., & McNeil, J. (2011). Public health campaigns and obesity - a critique. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Cambridge University Press.

  • Watts, D. J. (2011). Everything is obvious, once you know the answer. London: Atlantic Books Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO/Europe. (2004). Food and health in Europe: A new basis for action. European Series. Copenhagen: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P., Friestad, M., & Boush, D. M. (2005). The development of marketplace persuasion knowledge in children, adolescents, and young adults. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 24(2), 222–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wymer, W. (2010). Rethinking the boundaries of social marketing: activism or advertising? Journal of Business Research, 63(2), 99–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wymer, W. (2011). Developing more effective social marketing strategies. Journal of Social Marketing, 1(1), 17–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation for the funding of this research (grant number: F-ZD 030/2007–2008) and all the participants who volunteered to participate in the focus groups. Also, many thanks to Pr. Tim Lang for his valuable and thoughtful insights during the whole research project and to Pr. Gerard Hastings for his thoughts and encouragement to write this article. Finally, acknowledgements go to the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marketing & Enterprise, Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK

    Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki & David Ross Brennan

  2. Centre for Food Policy, City University London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK

    Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki & Martin Caraher

Authors
  1. Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Ross Brennan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin Caraher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kapetanaki, A.B., Brennan, D.R. & Caraher, M. Social marketing and healthy eating: findings from young people in Greece. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 11, 161–180 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-013-0112-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-013-0112-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation