Elizabeth Howlett

How Modification of the Nutrition Facts Panel Influences Consumers at Risk for Heart Disease: The Case of Trans Fat

Making well-informed, healthful food choices helps people maintain a high quality of life. This is especially true for consumers suffering from serious diseases and conditions, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. Two studies examine how the provision of information on trans fat, a nutrient that provides no known beneficial health benefits, in the Nutrition Facts panel influences consumers’ product perceptions and purchase intentions. Using a sample of consumers suffering from diabetes, the authors show that trans fat knowledge and level (disclosed in a Nutrition Facts panel) interact to influence risk perceptions of cardiovascular disease. The results also indicate that responses of consumers who are at risk for heart disease are influenced by the interplay among consumer knowledge, trans fat level, and motivation to process nutrition information. Specifically, the authors find that motivation in the absence of knowledge can lead to a misinterpretation of the nutrient information. Overall, the results indicate that without appropriate consumer education programs, the addition of trans fat levels to the Nutrition Facts panel may have limited or even unintended consequences. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for public policy.

The influence of consumer concern about global climate change on framing effects for environmental sustainability messages

It is becoming increasingly evident that current patterns of consumption are not sustainable in the long term. Clearly, the need to persuade consumers to adopt more sustainable lifestyles has never been more urgent. The present research contributes to our understanding of the effects of message framing by considering the potential moderating influence of consumer concern about global climate change within the context of sustainable consumption. The results of two experiments demonstrate that the US consumer’s level of concern for the message-specific issues moderates the strength of the framing effect; effects are larger when concern about climate change is low. In addition, when concern is low, more negative framing and a prevention focus have more favourable persuasive effects. The implications of these findings for consumer welfare and public policy are discussed. Sustainability is achieved when all people on Earth can live well without compromising the quality of life for future generations.(Jucker 2003)

Hold the Salt! Effects of Sodium Information Provision, Sodium Content, and Hypertension on Perceived Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Purchase Intentions

Excessive sodium intake is a major cause of hypertension, a significant risk factor for several forms of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Despite this finding, the average intake among Americans is 150% of the maximum recommended level. The goal of this research is to obtain greater consumer insight into this important public health issue. The authors analyze data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006 and conduct two experiments using a nationwide panel of consumers. The results indicate that hypertension status has a significant effect on consumers’ attention to sodium on the Nutrition Facts panel (Study 1) and moderates the influence of sodium disclosure on perceived cardiovascular disease risk and purchase intentions for restaurant items (Study 2). In addition, the authors find that sodium level on a Nutrition Facts panel interacts with the provision of health-related sodium educational materials to influence disease risk perceptions and purchase intentions (Study 3). They offer potential implications of their findings for public policy makers, the public health community, and consumers.

Twenty Years of Country-of-Origin Food Labeling Research A Review of the Literature and Implications for Food Marketing Systems

Recent legislation by the United States and European Union governments now mandates the provision of country-of-origin (COO) information at the point of purchase for a variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, and other assorted food products. To better understand the significance of these regulatory changes, two decades of existing COO food labeling research are synthesized, reviewed, and discussed. The implications for two primary sets of actors within aggregate marketing systems, consumers and practitioners, are then discussed from a macromarketing perspective. Based on the reviewed literature, the authors conclude that little generalizable knowledge about COO food labeling effects exists, and further identify a lack of sufficient theoretical application and development as a primary reason. Consequently, the exact impact of mandatory (and voluntary) COO labeling initiatives for consumers and practitioners still remains unclear and highly debatable. Thus, as these initiatives continue to make country-of-origin labeling more commonplace around the world, it is crucial that additional theory-driven research be conducted, especially from a macromarketing perspective, to foster more generalizable knowledge about the complex role of COO information in aggregate food marketing systems.

The Fight Against Obesity: Influences of Self-Efficacy on Exercise Regularity

Given the current social problem of obesity, past and current research efforts have examined consumer choice and decisionmaking regarding food consumption. However, preventative health behaviors such as exercise are also instrumental in combating the obesity epidemic. Limited studies in the marketing literature have explored how internal and psychological characteristics influence physical activity and exercise regularity. Thus, this study seeks to examine how individual self-efficacy impacts exercise behavior. Findings indicate that in order to fully explain the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and exercise regularity, significant mediating factors such as health consciousness, goal progress, attitude toward exercise, and satisfaction with current weight must be included in the decision-making process. Implications for consumers, social marketers, and public policy makers are discussed.

The Impact of E-Cigarette Addiction Warnings and Health-Related Claims on Consumers’ Risk Beliefs and Use Intentions

The popularity of electronic cigarettes continues to skyrocket across the United States. Given the multitude of aggressive promotional campaigns launched by e-cigarette manufacturers, including some that have offered unsubstantiated health claims, this rapid growth is not surprising. Despite this popularity, many consumers may be unaware that some in the health care community consider e-cigarette use a serious public health issue because most e-cigarettes deliver highly addictive nicotine through vapor. Consequently, the Food and Drug Administration now requires e-cigarette manufacturers to disclose information about the highly addictive nature of their products. Results across two studies show that addiction warnings and health claims presented in e-cigarette advertising influence consumers’ risk beliefs. Although a warning statement increases consumers’ addiction risk beliefs, the concurrent presence of a health-related claim in the e-cigarette advertisement weakens the effect. Findings also suggest that addiction warnings have the potential to indirectly influence consumers’ intentions for future electronic and traditional cigarette use in the absence of an explicit health claim. Implications for both consumer health and public policy are offered.