title: Factors influencing European consumer uptake of personalised nutrition. Results of a qualitative analysis.
abstract: The aim of this research was to explore consumer perceptions of personalised nutrition and to compare these across three different levels of "medicalization": lifestyle assessment (no blood sampling); phenotypic assessment (blood sampling); genomic assessment (blood and buccal sampling). The protocol was developed from two pilot focus groups conducted in the UK. Two focus groups (one comprising only "older" individuals between 30 and 60 years old, the other of adults 18-65 yrs of age) were run in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Germany (N=16). The analysis (guided using grounded theory) suggested that personalised nutrition was perceived in terms of benefit to health and fitness and that convenience was an important driver of uptake. Negative attitudes were associated with internet delivery but not with personalised nutrition per se. Barriers to uptake were linked to broader technological issues associated with data protection, trust in regulator and service providers. Services that required a fee were expected to be of better quality and more secure. An efficacious, transparent and trustworthy regulatory framework for personalised nutrition is required to alleviate consumer concern. In addition, developing trust in service providers is important if such services to be successful.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Food & Health-NICHE, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, BT52 1SA Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stewart-Knox
authors.forename: Sharron
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuznesof
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: Maresa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poínhos
authors.forename: Maria Daniel Vaz
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macready
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berezowska
authors.forename: Arnout R H
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Navas-Carretero
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riemer
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Traczyk
authors.forename: Ingrid M F
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Gjelstad
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mavrogianni
authors.forename: Lynn J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Frewer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054647:Nutrigenomics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult