Justification of the selection of the HBM as foundation of the theoretical

In the realisation of the study of consumer behaviour towards consuming functional foods, the determinants should be related to health (Sánchez and Barrena, 2004). This is logical because consumers prefer products that offer health benefits (Aschemann-Witzel and Hamm, 2010). Therefore, a suitable theoretical framework should be the one that is able to provide information from a health perspective. Such argument for selecting the theoretical foundation based on the concept of health is justified by a schematic representation of the relative position of functional food which show the position of functional foods is in between to the health food and medicine category (Von Alvensleben, 2001). Figure 2.8 illustrates the conceptual market positioning of functional foods.

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Figure 2-8 Conceptual Market Positioning of Functional Foods

Source: von Alvensleben (2001)

Figure 2.8 suggests that the characteristic of functional food products is located

between Health Food and Medicine. Hence, the health dimensions are much more appropriate to be explored to predict the consumer’ intention to functional food products.

In this context past studies showed that the consumer intention to purchase the product are more likely to be positive when health information is understood (Kozup et al., 2003). Such an argument is supported by Van Kleef et al., (2005), that emphasised the importance to communicate the health benefits of the product to influence consumer intentions. Hence the study of current consumer intention towards the purchase and consumption of functional foods is crucial as to get the current position of consumer

understanding and further rectification and improvement could be made by the stakeholders in the industry.

The objective of this study is to assess how consumer attitudes on the HBM constructs; that is, Perceived Susceptibility, Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, and Cue to Actions could influence the choice and consumption of functional foods in the UK.

Wulan (2017) described that knowledge, experience and trust significantly affect the adoption of functional foods. By having such elements, an individual usually may develop their psychological stand related to their intention to consume functional foods. Since these elements are proven to influence consumer behaviour, it is essential to further understand whether psychological factors such as Perceived Susceptibility, Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers could also influence them. This argument is supported by

Moorman and Matulich (1993) that described an individual that has a desire to maintain a healthy body are very particular in their food selection. In other words, an individual with higher concern with health, and the consequences of practicing a healthier diet would be influenced by healthier products such as functional foods.

Functional foods Eg. Protein drinks Normal food Eg. Brocolli Nutritious Food Eg. Fruit juice Health Food Eg. Herbal tea Medicine Eg. Vitamins

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Wider perspectives of health consciousness that affects food choice are explained by factors such as prevention of diseases, staying healthy, quality of life, and medical

recommendations (Mai and Hoffmann, 2017). It indicates that an individual with high consciousness would consume more healthy foods such as functional foods. Interestingly, such a finding can be cross checked its validity by others relevant construct. Precisely, the factor of prevention of disease can be explored further by utilising the elements of the Perceived Risk construct in the HBM. This is justified as the construct of Perceived Risk measures the associated risk of diseases that can be reduced by consuming functional foods. A similar treatment can be applied in the case of the Health Consciousness factor, which relates to the Perceived Benefits construct in the HBM.

Furthermore, it is proven that health innovativeness, along with other identified factors such as health motivation are significantly able to impact healthy diet behaviour (Mowen, 2000). Hence, it is essential to complement findings from previous studies by examining whether other associated health factors explained by HBM constructs would also affect consumer intention to practise healthy diet behaviour i.e. consuming functional foods.

The study of the consumer’s intention to consume functional foods is essential as it is one of the larger scopes of preventive health behaviour related to healthy food choice. There are still gaps to fulfil as many previous studies emphasised demographic factors rather than psychological constructs. One of previous studies that examined the psychological construct was conducted by Moorman and Matulich (1993) and found the positive relationship between health motivation on preventive health behaviours (e.g., diet and alcohol use). Nevertheless, as the limited scope of investigation was made, further investigation of other psychological factors is needed.

The present research extends previous study by exploring the impact of the Extended Health Belief Model (EHBM) constructs to the consumer. Figure 2.9 illustrates the elements of EHBM.

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Figure 2-9 The Extended Health Belief Model (EHBM)

The novel elements in this newly develop model and its constructs are further

discussed in the Chapter 4 (The Conceptual Framework). It asks the question of whether the EHBM approach can account for high levels of variance in different types of functional foods. If the EHBM can successfully predict consumers’ intention to engage with a healthy diet behaviour, i.e. consuming functional foods, there are several implications. Firstly, from a marketing standpoint, it may be effective if the products provide more emphasis on its

messages by utilising items in significant constructs in the EHBM. Secondly, from the perspective of public-policy, an effective communication strategy which highlights the importance to engage with consuming healthy food products for a healthy lifestyle could be possible to be developed.