Elsevier

Food Quality and Preference

Volume 52, September 2016, Pages 179-187
Food Quality and Preference

Adolescents’ food packaging perceptions. Does gender matter when weight control and health motivations are considered?,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.04.012Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Food packaging for adolescents worried about health.

  • Food packaging for adolescents worried about weight control.

  • Informative versus visual packaging cues.

  • Gender differences in packaging relevance.

Abstract

This paper investigates, first, to what extent adolescents highly involved in food are more worried about weight control and health than less involved adolescents. Second, it studies the impact of both food choice motivations on food packaging relevance, considering both, visual and informative packaging cues. Finally, these relationships are re-tested in two different frameworks: men and to this end, 589 adolescent consumers between 14 and 17 years were questioned. The interviews were done personally by an external company at the door of 30 different schools. Our results have confirmed the relevance of packaging informative cues over visual cues for adolescents highly worried about weight control and health. Women are significantly more involved in food than men, being also more worried about weight control and health than them. Even more, women pay significantly more attention than men on informative cues when they choose a food to control weight.

Graphical abstract

The relevance of the packing under weight control and health concerns.

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Introduction

There is a long tradition of research into consumers’ food choice. However, adolescents’ research is scarce (Ragaert, Verbeke, Devlieghere, & Debevere, 2004). As Haytko and Baker (2004, p. 67) remark, “while past research has examined the role of adolescents in influencing family decision-making (e.g. Beatty & Talpade, 1994), little academic research has been devoted to understand the role of adolescents as primary consumers”. Given that this group represents a large and affluent market segment, it is important that managers and public entities gain insight into what factors influence their products/services experiences (Scully et al., 2012).

Even more, women and men do not wonder equally about food. For example, Wardle et al. (2004) examined 4 food choice behaviors among young adults from 23 countries and tested 2 possible explanatory mechanisms for the gender difference: women’s greater likelihood of dieting and women’s greater beliefs in the importance of healthy diets.

Based on their results, two food choice motivations (weight control and health) have been chosen to develop our research, with the final purpose to measure gender differences. Specifically, we will try to probe to what extent two food choice motivations (weight control and health) affect packaging perceptions, and if these effects differ between women and men. At this point, it is important to clarify that, following Steptoe, Pollard, and Wardle (1995) initial proposal about food choice motivations, weight control choices and health choices are different concepts. Weight choices are in reality a means to looking good in adolescents, while health choices are a way to get a better health. An adolescent worried about weight control, looks for non-fat foods low in calories, however maybe he/she does not look for nutritious aliments, high in proteins, vitamins and minerals to be healthier, because this is a different motivation.

With this proposal, we will try to fulfill three literature gaps. First, the majority of existing research on food marketing for the adolescent market has focused on television advertising only, forgetting other important marketing tools such as packaging (Harris et al., 2010, Underwood et al., 2001). Second and it was stated previously, the adolescent market has being seldom analyzed from a marketing perspective, especially regarding food choice involvement and food choice motivations (Scully et al., 2012). Third, although some paper investigate gender differences in food choice behaviors (Wardle et al., 2004), its application in the adolescent market considering packaging perceptions has not being explored yet.

Then, the present paper will try to fulfill these literature gaps by developing a research with adolescent consumers to solve two main questions. First, do food choice motivations (weight control and health) affect adolescents’ packaging perceptions? Second, do women and men differ in their food packaging perceptions?

To solve both questions, two main objectives support our work. First, the paper tries to investigate the relationship between two food choice motivations (weight control and health) and packaging information search (regarding both, visual and informative packaging elements). As Fotopoulos, Krystallis, Vassallo, and Pagiaslis (2009) underline, several comprehensive models have been developed to sketch out the way people construct the process of choosing foods in general. The pioneer work of Steptoe et al. (1995) explains different factors/motives for dietary choices (including health, sensory appeal, natural content, prize, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern). However, there are no studies that address how food choice motivations are linked to packaging perceptions. This link seems evident following two theoretical frameworks. First, because motivations have a clear of effect on information searching, as classic Attitude–Behavior Model have demonstrated, and a strong tool to provide information is the package of the product. Second, because cue utilization theory advises that consumers tend to use extrinsic cues as surrogate indicators of product quality (Richardson, 1994). This could explain the growing importance of packaging design and the role of packaging as a vehicle for consumer communication and branding (Silayoi & Speece, 2004). For this reason, the package becomes a critical factor in the consumer decision-making process because it communicates to consumers at the time they are actually deciding in the store. Specifically, the packaging becomes a powerful weapon in the food industry (Ozretic-Dosen, Skare, & Krupka, 2007).

Then our first objective will be to study the connection of weight control and health motivations with the search for information in a packaging. The question that emerges is: will weight control and health motivations affect the perceived importance of different cues in a packaging (visual cues and informative cues)? As Zanoli and Naspetti (2002) argue, this Means-End Chain Theory decision making is considered like a problem-solving process. As far as consumers feel more motivated, it is expected that they will search for additional information in the package.

Second, one area that has recently received attention in the food intake literature is that of gender differences (Wardle et al., 2004). As these authors review, comparisons between male and female deaths in several countries of the world concluded that men live an average of 7 years fewer than women. Curiously, behavioral medicine investigators, along with many clinical researchers, have paid little attention to this striking phenomenon (Wardle et al., 2004). As Beardsworth et al. (2002) underline, gender differences exist in food preferences and practices, so it’s a of greatest interest the expanding literature on the links between gender and a whole range of food and eating related issues.

So, our second objective will be to study to what extent the relationships between food choice motivations (referred to weight control and health) and the perceived importance of different packaging cues are stronger for women than for men. That is, will women pay higher attention to different packaging cues (graphical and informative cues) as far as they are possibly more weight and health concerned consumers?

To reach both objectives, 590 young adolescent consumers between 13 and 17 years were interviewed at the door of both, public and private schools. A model was tested through structural modeling techniques twice: one without considering the moderating role of gender, and another, splitting the sample into women (316 participants) and men (273 participants).

The add value of the paper will be, on one side, to provided public entities and managers of private food companies focused on the adolescent market how to proceed to design their packages accordingly their consumers concerns. Our results will permit to connect visual and informative packaging designing variables to weight control and health motivations. “Little research is available regarding consumers’ perceptions of food packaging” (Venter, van der Merwe, de Beer, Kempen, & Bosman, 2011, p. 273). So, we will progress on the understanding of packaging as a strategic weapon and marketing tool for the entire business, especially within a highly competitive food industry. This is a higher important research topic, because as Wells, Farley, and Armstrong (2007) have demonstrated, consumers placed a high dependence on the extrinsic attributes of packaging to aid the purchase decision. Indeed, over 73 percent of consumers agreed to utilize packaging to assist in their purchase decisions.

On another side, the present paper will add value to previous works because we will test to what extent managers in charge of low fat and healthy products, should define their packages strategies considering also if they are target for men or for women. Also, additional implications for public authorities would be provided in order to augment men concern with weight control and health.

In sum, although real behaviors are not measured in our work, the incidence of alternative motivations in food intakes is linked in this research to the attention paid to different food packaging cues, considering also gender differences.

The paper is structured as follows: first, it makes a comprehensive review of the existing literature in order to analyze the constructs shown in the literature and to state our hypotheses; second, the methodology of the empirical is presented; third, a model of the relationships between constructs is analyzed through structural equations modeling to test our hypotheses; finally, conclusions, managerial implications and future line of research are presented.

Section snippets

Food involvement: effect on weight control and health motivations

Consumers highly involved in food will be those that think and talk much about food each day, enjoy cooking and consider that food choice decisions are very important in their lives (Bell & Marshall, 2003). As Bell and Marshall (2003) and Marshall and Bell (2004) developed food involvement construct is based on the idea that food consumption, or more narrowly, eating, can be seen as part of a much wider process linked to growing, allocating, cooking, eating and disposal (Goody, 1982).

Grounded

Information collection

Following several authors, such as Gunter, 1998, Haytko and Baker, 2004 or Scully et al. (2012), the adolescent market includes young consumer between 13 and 18 year (between 8 and 12 they are still consider children). This market represents an interesting opportunity for packaged food manufacturers’ because their role as buying agents in the family unit is growing more and more (Haytko & Baker, 2004). So, we have selected this target for our work.

Prior to the quantitative data gathering, a

Confirmatory analysis

Before verifying the proposed model, the measurement model psychometric properties were evaluated. First, the univariate and multivariate normality of the observed variables was tested based on the skewness and kurtosis of the observed variables using SPSS software (τ  0 and κ  3). Then, a confirmatory factor analysis was done on the 9 measurement scales being studied using the robust maximum likelihood method. Several changes were introduced following various criteria to improve the initial

Conclusions, managerial implications and limitations

Understanding adolescents’ weight control and health motivations and the relevance of the information of the packaging (visual and informative elements) may be helpful in a food marketers segmentation strategy and also in public authorities health awareness campaigns.

Thus, examining adolescents’ food choice involvement and motivations should provide greater insight into the adolescent market instead of treating everyone between the ages of 13 and 17 in the same way. Also, differentiated actions

Natalia Vila is a Professor in Marketing in the Department of Marketing in the Economics School at the University of Valencia. She has carried out research on topics such as competitive positioning, identification of strategic groups/competitive groups and the application of Multidimensional Scaling in marketing. Her research work has been published in several refereed journals (Information & Management; Management Decision; Cuadernos de Economía y Dirección de Empresas, European Journal of

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  • Cited by (0)

    Natalia Vila is a Professor in Marketing in the Department of Marketing in the Economics School at the University of Valencia. She has carried out research on topics such as competitive positioning, identification of strategic groups/competitive groups and the application of Multidimensional Scaling in marketing. Her research work has been published in several refereed journals (Information & Management; Management Decision; Cuadernos de Economía y Dirección de Empresas, European Journal of Marketing; International Marketing Review; Marketing Intelligence and Planning; Journal of Consumer Marketing; Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice; Journal of Food Products Marketing; Journal of Relationship Marketing; Innovative Marketing; Journal of Marketing Management; Journal of Strategic Marketing; European Journal of Innovation Management; Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal; Journal of Euromarketing; The Marketing Review; Journal of Global Marketing; Journal of Travel and Transport Marketing; Sex Roles, Equal Opportunities International, Journal of Food Products Marketing¸ Journal of Teaching in International Business; Neural Computing & Applications, Journal of Marketing Trends, Micro & Macro Marketing, Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, Tourism Economics, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing etc. and Spanish refereed journals). She has presented papers at several Conferences such as EMAC, AM or AMS.

    Ines Kuster is a Professor in Marketing in the Department of Marketing in the in the Economics School at the University of Valencia. Her research attention has focused on the areas of strategic marketing and sales. She has published articles in several refereed journals (i.e. Information & Management, Management Decision, Cuadernos de Economía y Dirección de Empresas, JQR; European Journal of Innovation Management; Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing; Innovative Marketing; Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal; European Journal of Marketing; The Marketing Review; Marketing Intelligence and Planning; Journal of Global Marketing; Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice; Journal of Relationship Marketing; Annals of Tourism Research; Sex Roles; Equal Opportunities International, Journal of Teaching in International Business; Neural Computing & Applications, Journal of Marketing Trends, Micro & Macro Marketing, Multicultural Education & Technology Journal and relevant Spanish journals). She is author of one book (Relational Selling), and book chapters related to her investigation field. She has also presented papers at the European Marketing Conference and the Academy of Marketing Conference. She collaborates with several companies, helping them in marketing areas (recruiting salespeople, training sales managers, analysing commercial efforts, etc.).

    This paper has been financed by the Spanish Minister of Economy and Competitiveness. Project: “Alimentos reducidos en grasas y jóvenes. Cómo mejorar su comercialización”. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Programa I+D+i CSO2013-42524-R.

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    This paper has been financed by the University of Valencia (Spain). Proyect: “Condicionantes en la elección de alimentos reducidos en grasas entre los jóvenes: factores psicológicos del individuo, factores socio-culturales y factores extrínsecos al producto”. Proyecto Precompetitivo de la Universidad de Valencia. UV-INVPRECOMP13-115014.

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