Food Pleasure Profiles-An Exploratory Case Study of the Relation between Drivers of Food Pleasure and Lifestyle and Personality Traits in a Danish Consumer Segment.

Nikoline Bach Hyldelund,Barbara Vad Andersen,Derek Victor Byrne

doi:10.3390/foods11050718

Nikoline Bach Hyldelund, Barbara Vad Andersen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050718

Copy DOI

Abstract

A greater comprehension of factors contributing to pleasure from food-related experiences could increase understanding of underlying processes around different eating behaviours. We explored drivers of food pleasure and whether certain consumer characteristics were associated with specific food pleasure profiles. This study aimed to investigate (1) how Danish consumers vary in terms of primary drivers of food pleasure, and (2) how differences in food pleasure are related to specific sociodemographic, lifestyle, health and eating behavioural personality traits. Three-hundred and fifty-five respondents (mean age 33.3 years) rated the importance of different drivers of food pleasure, along with sociodemographic, lifestyle, health and eating behaviour variables. Segmentation analysis was performed based on emerging food pleasure dimensions, and profiling of segments was conducted by multivariate regression analysis and calculations of odds ratios. The results demonstrated that five specific consumer segments could be defined, ‘Sensory-pleasure Seekers’ (50%), ‘Internal-pleasure Seekers’ (34%), ‘Contextual-pleasure Seekers’ (17%), ‘Exploratory-pleasure seekers’ (13%) and ‘Confirming-pleasure seekers’ (5%), each with specific characteristics. Importantly, this research indicates that a link between mental health, personality, eating behaviour and perceived food pleasure is evident. These insights contribute to the comprehension of the complex nature of food choices of importance to accommodating public health issues.

Highlights

IntroductionThe reason why people eat from a mere physiological point of view is to sustain energy levels, avoid starvation and reach bodily homeostasis [1,2]
The overall purpose of this study was to investigate if certain consumer characteristics are associated with specific food pleasure profiles
It was discovered that specific consumer characteristics were associated with specific food pleasure profiles, and the pleasure consumers perceive from food can be described both quantitatively and qualitatively by use of the elements of the framework for the Food Pleasure Scale

Summary

Introduction

The reason why people eat from a mere physiological point of view is to sustain energy levels, avoid starvation and reach bodily homeostasis [1,2]. A focus on the hedonic side of eating has been prevalent in food and consumer research in recent years as an attempt to better understand the complex daily decision-making of consumers with regards to food intake [7–11]. This has yielded a comprehensive, yet fragmented picture of the many factors that can affect the subjective pleasurable eating experience [6]. It is not clear which of these many factors are driving the subjective experience of food pleasure in the individual consumer. It seems there is a need for a holistic view on food pleasure for truly comprehending the many different components that influence the unique and flexible food choices and eating behaviours of consumers

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion