MODERATING EFFECT OF EXPERIENCE ON THE INTENTION - BEHAVIORAL RELATIONSHIP TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FOOD CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of experience within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and how it influences the relationship between intention and behavior towards functional food consumption, as well as to develop the measurement for the construct of experience from the perspective of healthy food consumption. Methodology: The population of the study comprised of Malaysian consumers aged 18 years and above who live in Peninsular Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire is used as data collection tools during a mall intercept in selected supermarkets in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The total sample of 452 consumers was usable for analysis. The study examined the intrinsic and extrinsic experience, which are the Feeling of Using Functional Food and the Functional Food Environment, respectively. The study used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 23) to analyze the data. The factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were employed to examine the moderating effect of experience on intention - behavior relationship. Main Findings: The results showed that only intrinsic experience moderates the relationship between intention and behavior towards functional food consumption. Thus, it indicates that when the individual feels the rewards and benefits (intrinsic) of using functional food, the chances of consuming functional food will increase. Applications of this study: This study suggested that the feeling of using functional food (such as feeling happy and healthy) is important in motivating consumers to initiate the desired healthy eating behavior. Thus, healthy food producers and marketers must teach this notion in their strategies. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study contributes to the methodological aspect by developing a modified scale measuring experience focusing on healthy food consumption. This study also verifies that the significantly modified scale measuring experience in different contexts and settings is distinctly acceptable and could be a useful scale for future research. This study has proposed two dimensions of experience on healthy food consumption: The feeling of Using Functional Food and the Functional Food Environment.