Consumer fear and healthy eating during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to the healthy eating literature by analyzing whether fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), ability to prepare food and the safety-seeking are antecedents of the intention to consume healthy foods during COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted two studies. The first study was done with a sample of 546 valid respondents. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data. The second study was qualitative, in which 40 subjects took part. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: The main findings reveal that ability to prepare food and the safety-seeking are strong antecedents of the intention to consume healthy foods. In addition, safety-seeking mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to consume healthy eating. However, high levels of fear did not influence the ability to prepare food and intention to consume healthy foods. Also, the ability to prepare food does not mediate the relation between fear of COVID-19 and intention to consume healthy food. Originality/value: This study is among the first to consider terror management propositions to analyze the intention to consume healthy foods during COVID-19 pandemic. From a scientific point of view, it has several contributions to the literature. First, this study provides advances and innovation in the field by identifying new explanatory relations. Second, this study extends the scope of terror management health model (TMHM) by analyzing it in the pandemic context. Third, the findings seem to provide empirical support for recent criticism of TMHM assumptions. Moreover, practical implications are outlined to public health decision makers and healthy food businesses on increasing consumers' intention to healthy eating. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Toward Self-Preservation: Analysis of Slow Food Consumption Antecedents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study analyzes whether the intention to consume healthy foods, health consciousness, and self-isolation influence slow food consumption in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. An online survey gathered data from 423 valid respondents, and these were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). In short, we found that the intention to consume healthy food explains slow food consumption. Both self-isolation and health consciousness indirectly impact slow food consumption through the intention to consume healthy foods. From a scientific point of view, this study offers several contributions to the specialized literature. Firstly, it expands the scope of studies on slow food since the literature has hitherto focused on addressing it as a movement. Secondly, it reveals which factors influence slow food amidst a scenario that, although adverse, has favored its occurrence. Finally, it advances and innovates by identifying new theoretical relations. [ FROM AUTHOR]