Association Between Sociodemographic Factors and the Health Orientation of Urban Consumers Toward the Consumption of High-Value Agricultural Products in India

Abstract

Purpose : Due to the great nutritional and economic significance of high-value agricultural products (HVAPs), these goods have taken center stage in the Indian economy, both in terms of production and consumption. Nevertheless, even with higher production levels, India’s population consumed far less milk and fruit than what the WHO suggested.

Methodology : Using the health orientation framework, a study was conducted in Delhi with 385 urban consumers to investigate how health orientation (HO) varies across different sociodemographic factors and what effect this has on HVAP consumption. Factor analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and ordinal logistic regression techniques were used for the analysis. The analysis has been conducted using SPSS software.

Findings : Three main factors affecting HVAP consumption, namely healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, and conscious eating, were identified. Income, education, and gender were identified to be the most important sociodemographic factors affecting the health orientation of the consumers. All three HO factors significantly and positively impacted the frequency of HVAP consumption.

Practical Implications : This research paves the way for policymakers and marketing experts to design consumer segment-based interventions to promote the consumption of HVAPs. The insights from the study would aid in designing outreach messages that resonate effectively within each demographic subgroup.

Originality : In India, ample research has been undertaken by both researchers and government organizations toward improving nutrition security for economically weaker consumers, with focal points being women and children. However, studies covering the phenomena of low HVAP consumption in urban areas are negligible, especially about their health orientation.