Exploring consumers' health meaning categories: towards a health consumption meaning model

Abstract

*Health marketplace offers a lucrative business for many companies. However, there is a gap in consumer research in understanding what health as a target of consumption really means to consumers. The subtleties and multiplicity of meanings rural and urban (both younger and older) consumers attach to health in their everyday lives are empirically explored in this article. Findings of a focus group interview-based interpretive analysis are reported. It was found that meanings consumers associate with health are profound and multi-faceted (identification of several health-meaning categories) with some evidence for age-and area-of-residency-related health-meaning differences. The article is concluded by advancing theory-building in consumer research in the form of developing a tentative framework model that can be used to analyze health consumption meanings.

‘If it makes you feel good it must be right’: Embodiment strategies for healthy eating and risk management

“…The findings of Luomala et al . () confirm that health meanings are a matter of negotiating a plethora of conflicting principles. However, these aspects of health meanings emanate not from theory but directly from the empirical studies, and are based on focus group interviews.…”

Twitter communication of agri‐food chain actors on palm oil environmental, socio‐economic, and health sustainability

“…Food safety, healthy food, and food sustainability are sensitive issues for consumers (Black & Cherrier, ; Disdier et al, ; Kayser, Boehm, & Spiller, ; Aguiar et al, ; Kuttschreuter et al, ; Luomala, Paasovaara, & Lehtola, ;). Nowadays, user‐generated contents (microblogging, social network, and content community) provide agri‐food chain actors with the capability to communicate at a low cost and with a potential massive influence at the global level (Smith, Fischer, & Yongjian, ; Verbeke, ).…”

Fluidity of places in everyday food consumption: Introducing snackscapes

“…The fifth snackscape, out of the ordinary , gathers together all snack consumption episodes that are not dull, even when they occur during weekdays or in between mundane activities. This snackscape could be described as an occasion that grants ‘permission for self‐indulgence’ (Luomala, Paasovaara, & Lehtola, ): ‘Now I decided to reward myself. My snack consisted of a yoghurt, an apple and some heart‐shaped chocolates,’ says Liinu (female, 50 years).…”

“…While others routinely take care of their health by making smoothies with fruits, berries, superfoods and protein powders, others are more inclined to seek balance in their everyday eating by including both healthy and tasty snacks (e.g., in Finland: combining oat porridge and chocolate chips). Thus, public policymakers should take into account that health‐oriented communication does not necessarily resonate with the target audience if ‘healthy’ is too narrowly defined (Luomala et al, ). Instead, such communication could address healthiness in broader terms, and thereby support various ways to engage in health‐oriented lifestyles.…”