Food and wellbeing. Towards a consumer-based approach.
Interest in understanding how foods affect consumers' perceived wellbeing has grown in the last decade due to the increasing need to modify dietary patterns. Considering that wellbeing is a broad concept that lacks of a unique definition, in order to use and measure this concept it is necessary to explore how consumers understand it, particularly in the context of food consumption. The aim of the present work was to investigate consumers' perception of wellbeing in a food-related context using an exploratory qualitative approach. A study was carried out with 120 Uruguayan participants using three qualitative techniques: word association, open-ended questions and free listing. Wellbeing in a food-related context was strongly associated with physical health. The expected effects of foods on wellbeing were mainly related to non-communicable diseases such as high cholesterol levels, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. However, hedonic and emotional aspects of food consumption were also salient for consumers perceived wellbeing. The information gathered in this study can contribute to the development of scales for measuring consumer perceived wellbeing when consuming foods.
['Ares|Gastón|G|', 'De Saldamando|Luis|L|', 'Giménez|Ana|A|', 'Deliza|Rosires|R|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D003258:Consumer Behavior D004435:Eating D005247:Feeding Behavior D005260:Female D015438:Health Behavior D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D010549:Personal Satisfaction D013649:Taste D014583:Uruguay D055815:Young Adult
Word association Free listing Consumer studies Qualitative studies Wellness