Role of Consumer Characteristics in Obesity

Role of Consumer Characteristics in Obesity

• Harold L. Stuart Endowed Chair in Business Siva K. Balasubramanian
• Zheng Zhou, Stuart Ph.D. Management Science ’20
• Mark Fishbein, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Abstract:

We conducted a survey (N=470) of Chicago households near Humboldt Park (a predominantly Hispanic community) focused on nutrition perceptions, food consumption and health outcomes. Motivated by the research gap on the relationships between consumer perceptions, consumer characteristics, and health status, this study proposes and develops a model of interrelationships among the following constructs: buying impulsiveness, nutrition/health link, behavior control, weight perception, nutrition knowledge, motivation to use/process nutrition information, and health outcomes such as BMI and health status.

Guided by prior research, we develop and test 10 hypotheses using a Structural Equation Model (SEM) framework. Within this model framework, nutrition knowledge mediates the relationship between nutrition/health link and motivation to process nutrition information. The authors specifically test if consumers’ education (in years) moderates the relationship between their understanding of the nutrition/health link and their nutrition knowledge. Results strongly support all our hypotheses, including the moderated mediation hypothesis described above. We discuss implications of findings for future research.

 

All Illinois Tech faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend.

The Friday Research Presentations series showcases ongoing academic research projects conducted by Stuart School of Business faculty and students, as well as guest presentations by Illinois Tech colleagues, business professionals, and faculty from other leading business schools.

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