title: Motivation for choice and healthiness perception of calorie-reduced dairy products. a cross-cultural study.
abstract: Understanding consumers' motives for selecting calorie-reduced dairy products are important to provide targeted communication to different consumer segments. The aim of this study was to identify motives for consumption of calorie-reduced dairy products among young consumers, and to identify how these consumers perceive the healthiness of such products compared to other food products. Consumers, aged 18-30 years, from Norway (n=118), Denmark (n=125), and California (n=127) participated in this cross-cultural study. The respondents sorted 24 statements referring to motives for choosing calorie-reduced yoghurt and cheese. The study also assessed the aspect of perceived healthiness of these products in comparison with a selection of other food products using a two-step ranking procedure. The data were analysed using chi-square analysis, Friedman's test and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results show that fat content, healthiness and taste were the most important motivators for choice of the calorie-reduced dairy products. In all three countries salmon was perceived as the healthiest among the products presented. The calorie-reduced dairy products were ranked as relatively healthy, with yoghurt ranked as healthier than cheese. Although cross-cultural differences existed in motives for choice and perceived healthiness of the products, the similarities between the countries were evident in this study.
authors.affiliation: Nofima Mat AS, Osloveien 1, NO-1430 Ås, Norway. susanne.johansen@nofima.no
authors.forename: Susanne Bølling
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Tormod
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Næs
authors.forename: Margrethe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hersleth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D002140:California; D002611:Cheese; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003611:Dairy Products; D003718:Denmark; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D004041:Dietary Fats; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D017747:Seafood; D013649:Taste; D015014:Yogurt; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats