title: Is food-related lifestyle (FRL) able to reveal food consumption patterns in non-Western cultural environments? Its adaptation and application in urban China.
abstract: Research related to food-related behaviour in China is still scarce, one reason being the fact that food consumption patterns in East Asia do not appear to be easily analyzed by models originating in Western cultures. The objective of the present work is to examine the ability of the food related lifestyle (FRL) instrument to reveal food consumption patterns in a Chinese context. Data were collected from 479 respondents in 6 major Chinese cities using a Chinese version of the FRL instrument. Analysis of reliability and dimensionality of the scales resulted in a revised version of the instrument, in which a number of dimensions of the original instrument had to be omitted. This revised instrument was tested for statistical robustness and used as a basis for the derivation of consumer segments. Construct validity of the instrument was then investigated by profiling the segments in terms of consumer values, attitudes and purchase behaviour, using frequency of consumption of pork products as an example. Three consumer segments were identified: concerned, uninvolved and traditional. This pattern replicates partly those identified in Western cultures. Moreover, all three segments showed consistent value-attitude-behaviour profiles. The results also suggest which dimensions may be missing in the instrument in a more comprehensive instrument adapted to Chinese conditions, most notably a broader treatment of eating out activities.
authors.affiliation: MAPP Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus University, Haslegaardsvej 10, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark. klg@asb.dk
authors.forename: Klaus G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Grunert
authors.forename: Toula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perrea
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Bjarne T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krystallis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D012107:Research Design; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013552:Swine