Nudging Healthy Food Consumer Choices in Diverse Environments: Extant Knowledge and Research Directions

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F70883521%3A28120%2F21%3A63539198" target="_blank" >RIV/70883521:28120/21:63539198 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Nudging Healthy Food Consumer Choices in Diverse Environments: Extant Knowledge and Research Directions

Original language description

The increasing rates of diet-related health problems remain a significant social issue of today, and even more in the incidence of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, even when the pandemic subsides, it is still vital to maintain healthier lifestyles, particularly concerning the choice of healthy food. Despite people&apos;s inherent consciousness of the positive impacts of healthier food choices, there is still a need to stimulate further and encourage consumers to manifest the desired behaviour. Over the past years, evidence is growing on the use of &quot;nudges&quot; – a concept in the framework of nudge theory in behavioural economics, aiming to induce behavioural changes among people and consequently counter diverse social issues. Nevertheless, as the concept is still in its infancy, a paucity of knowledge remains as to the types of nudges empirically examined in the foodservice sector, their efficacy in in-store and online retail environments, and the subsisting concerns needed resolves in future research initiatives. In response to this, a comprehensive literature review was conducted. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, about 80 journal articles published from 2014-2021 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases were reviewed. The selection covers research papers that experimentally assessed the nudge as behavioural intervention in the healthy food choice. Key findings reveal many nudges tested in the existing literature and have proven their effectiveness in healthy consumer choices. Nevertheless, specific population characteristics may influence the effectiveness of the intervention. For instance, verbal prompts, internal commitment devices, and nudges with hedonic attributes eliciting entertainment and enjoyment seem more promising for children than adults. Meanwhile, descriptions (nutrition labelling), placement (proximity/visibility), and visual enhancement nudges work effectively on the adult population in real-world or lab-based experimental setups. The review findings likewise recognize the scarcity of knowledge on the use and effectiveness of nudge interventions in virtual environments. Hence, with the increasing relevance of off-site shopping, the examination of nudges towards healthier food choices among consumers is a promising research direction. Extant studies have suggested further investigation of healthy food nudging interventions in diverse environments (i.e., low-income countries and vulnerable population groups) to offer more conclusive and complement extant findings. Indeed, the problems associated with a healthy diet affect the health of society and, consequently, economic performance. Nudge interventions are simple, effective, and low-cost tools that can have a very invasive positive effect on consumers within healthier consumer choices. Acquiring comprehensive knowledge would be relevant to various online and offline enterprises in promoting healthier food choices among consumers and together support public policies to mitigate health-related issues in societies around the globe.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50204 - Business and management

Project

<a href="/en/project/EF19_073%2F0016941" target="_blank" >EF19_073/0016941: Junior grants of TBU in Zlin</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2021

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

Managing Knowledge in Uncertain Times PROCEEDINGS

ISBN

978-88-96687-14-7

ISSN

2280-787X

e-ISSN

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Number of pages

23

Pages from-to

473-496

Publisher name

International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics

Place of publication

Řím

Event location

Řím

Event date

Sep 1, 2021

Type of event by nationality

EUR - Evropská akce

UT code for WoS article

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