TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Role of Perceived Benefits, Barriers, and Susceptibility in Free-From Gastronomy: A Health Belief Model Perspective
TT  - Arındırılmış (Free-From) Gastronomide Algılanan Faydalar, Engeller ve Duyarlılığın Rolü: Sağlık İnanç Modeli Perspektifi
AU  - Ocak, Altuğ
PY  - 2025
DA  - August
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.26466/opusjsr.1697883
JF  - OPUS Journal of Society Research
JO  - OPUS JSR
PB  - İdeal Kent Yayınları
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2791-9862
SP  - 706
EP  - 717
VL  - 22
IS  - 4
LA  - en
AB  - This study examines the key factors influencing consumer purchase intentions for free-from gastronomic products, focusing on the roles of perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and perceived susceptibility. The study applies the Health Belief Model (HBM) to explore how perceived susceptibility mediates the effect of perceived benefits on purchase intentions, while perceived barriers moderate this relationship. A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilizing a cross-sectional survey of 386 health-conscious consumers. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the direct, indirect (mediation), and interaction (moderation) effects. The results reveal that perceived benefits alone do not significantly influence purchase intentions; however, this relationship becomes significant when mediated by perceived susceptibility. Consumers who perceive themselves as at risk of diet-related health issues (e.g., diabetes, gluten intolerance) are more likely to purchase free-from products. Perceived barriers significantly moderate this relationship, such that consumers with higher perceived barriers (e.g., concerns about taste, price, and availability) are less likely to translate perceived benefits into purchase behavior. This study extends the HBM by demonstrating that perceived susceptibility plays a crucial mediating role in consumer food choices, particularly in the context of health-conscious purchasing behaviors. It also highlights the importance of barrier-reduction strategies in promoting free-from products. Marketers should emphasize health risk reduction messaging to increase perceived susceptibility, while simultaneously addressing price, taste, and availability concerns to mitigate perceived barriers. Strategies such as flavor innovations, affordability measures, and expanded distribution can enhance consumer adoption of free-from products. This study integrates HBM constructs into consumer behavior research, offering a novel approach to understanding psychological drivers of free-from product consumption. The findings provide practical recommendations for businesses and policymakers seeking to promote health-oriented food choices.
KW  - Consumer behavior
KW  - nutritional marketing
KW  - wellness trends
KW  - clean label products
KW  - free-from gastronomy
N2  - Bu çalışma, algılanan faydalar, algılanan engeller ve algılanan duyarlılığın rollerine dayanarak, tüketicilerin arındırılmış (free-from) gastronomik ürünleri satın alma niyetlerini etkileyen temel faktörleri incelemektedir. Çalışma, algılanan duyarlılığın algılanan faydaların satın alma niyetleri üzerindeki etkisine nasıl aracılık ettiğini araştırmak için Sağlık İnanç Modelini (HBM) kullanırken, algılanan engeller bu ilişkiyi ılımlı hale getirmektedir. Nicel bir araştırma yaklaşımı benimsenmiş ve sağlık bilincine sahip 386 tüketiciyle kesitsel bir anket yapılmıştır. Veriler, doğrudan, dolaylı (aracılık) ve etkileşim (moderasyon) etkilerini test etmek için Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi (YEM) kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, algılanan faydaların tek başına satın alma niyetlerini önemli ölçüde etkilemediğini, ancak algılanan duyarlılık aracılık ettiğinde bu ilişkinin anlamlı hale geldiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Kendilerini diyetle ilgili sağlık sorunları (örn. diyabet, glüten intoleransı) riski altında algılayan tüketicilerin free-from ürünleri satın alma olasılığı daha yüksektir. Algılanan engeller bu ilişkiyi önemli ölçüde azaltmaktadır; öyle ki algılanan engelleri yüksek olan tüketicilerin (örn. tat, fiyat ve bulunabilirlikle ilgili endişeler) algılanan faydaları satın alma davranışına dönüştürme olasılığı daha düşüktür. Bu çalışma, algılanan duyarlılığın, özellikle sağlık bilincine sahip satın alma davranışları bağlamında, tüketici gıda seçimlerinde önemli bir aracı rolü oynadığını göstererek HBM'yi genişletmektedir. Ayrıca, arındırılmış ürünlerin tanıtımında karşılaşılan engelleri azaltma stratejilerinin önemini vurgulamaktadır. Pazarlamacılar, algılanan duyarlılığı artırmak için sağlık riskini azaltma mesajlarını ön plana çıkarırken, aynı zamanda algılanan engelleri azaltmak için fiyat, tat ve bulunabilirlik endişelerini de gidermek zorundadır. Lezzet alanında yenilikler, satın alınabilirlik ölçütleri ve genişletilmiş dağıtım gibi stratejiler, tüketicilerin arındırılmış ürünleri benimsemesini artırabilir. Bu çalışma, HBM yapılarını tüketici davranışı araştırmalarına entegre ederek free-from ürün tüketiminin psikolojik etkenlerini anlamaya yönelik yeni bir yaklaşım sunmaktadır. Bulgular, sağlık odaklı gıda seçimlerini teşvik etmek isteyen işletmeler ve politika yapıcılar için pratik öneriler sunmaktadır.
CR  - Anthony, L. A. (2023, April 17). 20 free marketing ideas for small businesses. NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/free-marketing-ideas?utm_source=chatgpt.com
CR  - Aschemann-Witzel, J., Varela, P., & Peschel, A. O. (2019). Consumers’ categorization of food ingredients: Do consumers perceive them as ‘clean label’producers expect? An exploration with projective mapping. Food quality and preference, 71, 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.06.003
CR  - Ben Hassen, T., El Bilali, H., & Allahyari, M. S. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on food behavior and consumption in Qatar. Sustainability, 12(17), 6973. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176973
CR  - Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588-606. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
CR  - Block, L. G., & Keller, P. A. (1995). When to accentuate the negative: The effects of perceived efficacy and message framing on intentions to perform a health-related behavior. Journal of marketing research, 32(2), 192-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379503200206
CR  - Champion, V. L. (1984). Instrument development for health belief model constructs. Advances in nursing science, 6(3), 73-85.
CR  - Champion, V. L. (1993). Instrument refinement for breast cancer screening behaviors. Nursing research, 42(3), 139-143.
CR  - Chen, M. F. (2011). The joint moderating effect of health consciousness and healthy lifestyle on consumers’ willingness to use functional foods in Taiwan. Appetite, 57(1), 253-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.05.305
CR  - Dimidi, E., Kabir, B., Singh, J., Ageridou, A., Foster, C., Ciclitira, P., ... & Whelan, K. (2021). Predictors of adherence to a gluten-free diet in celiac disease: Do knowledge, attitudes, experiences, symptoms, and quality of life play a role?. Nutrition, 90, 111249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2021.111249.
CR  - Dodds, W. B., Monroe, K. B., & Grewal, D. (1991). Effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers' product evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(3), 307-319. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379102800305
CR  - Food System Primer. (n.d.). Food marketing and labeling. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://foodsystemprimer.org/food-nutrition/food-marketing-and-labeling
CR  - Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
CR  - Grewal, D., Krishnan, R., Baker, J., & Borin, N. (1998). The effect of store name, brand name and price discounts on consumers' evaluations and purchase intentions. Journal of retailing, 74(3), 331-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(99)80099-2
CR  - Gyant, N. (2025, February 25). 15 insanely effective sales promotion examples to win more customers. WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/10/13/sales-promotion-examples?utm_source=chatgpt.com
CR  - Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Pearson.
CR  - Hartmann, C., & Siegrist, M. (2017). Consumer perception and behaviour regarding sustainable protein consumption: A systematic review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 61, 11-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2016.12.006
CR  - Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
CR  - Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
CR  - Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural equation modeling: a multidisciplinary journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
CR  - Innova Market Insights. (2025, January 10). Free-from food trends in the US. Growth patterns in lactose-free. Retrieved from https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/free-from-food-market-trends-in-the-us/
CR  - Joyful Eating Nutrition. (2022). Health halo effect: How to stop it shaping your food choices and eating behaviour. Joyful Eating Nutrition. https://www.joyfuleatingnutrition.com/blog/health-halo-effect-how-to-stop-it-shaping-your-food-choices-and-eating-behaviour/
CR  - Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
CR  - Liu, J., & Wang, S. (2023). Factors Influencing the Purchase Intention for Online Health Popular Science Information Based on the Health Belief Model. Behavioral Sciences, 13(8), 693. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13080693
CR  - Malhotra, N. K., Nunan, D., & Birks, D. F. (2020). Marketing research: An applied approach (6th ed.). Pearson.
CR  - Mintel Reports. (2025). US Free-From Market Report. Retrieved from https://store.mintel.com/us/report/us-free-from-market-report
CR  - National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Perceived benefits. Retrieved from https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/brp/research/constructs/perceived-benefits
CR  - Nine Blaess. (2025, May 3). Brand positioning examples. https://www.nineblaess.de/blog/brand-positioning-examples/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
CR  - Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
CR  - Panidi, K., Grebenschikova, Y., & Klucharev, V. (2023). The efficacy of the sugar-free labels is reduced by the health-sweetness tradeoff. arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.09885. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.09885
CR  - Raghunathan, R., Naylor, R. W., & Hoyer, W. D. (2006). The unhealthy= tasty intuition and its effects on taste inferences, enjoyment, and choice of food products. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 170-184. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.70.4.170
CR  - Rana, J., & Paul, J. (2017). Consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food: A review and research agenda. Journal of retailing and consumer services, 38, 157-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.06.004
CR  - Rosenstock, I. M. (1974). The health belief model and preventive health behavior. Health Education Monographs, 2(4), 354-386. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019817400200405
CR  - Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.). Pearson.
CR  - Schulte, E. M., Avena, N. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2015). Which foods may be addictive? The roles of processing, fat content, and glycemic load. PloS one, 10(2), e0117959. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117959
CR  - Schwarz, G. (1978). Estimating the dimension of a model. The annals of statistics, 461-464. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2958889
CR  - SmartPLS 4. (2024). SmartPLS Software for Structural Equation Modeling. Bönningstedt: SmartPLS. Retrieved from https://www.smartpls.com
CR  - Steinhauser, J., Janssen, M., & Hamm, U. (2019). Consumers’ purchase decisions for products with nutrition and health claims: What role do product category and gaze duration on claims play?. Appetite, 141, 104337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104337
CR  - Steptoe, A., Pollard, T. M., & Wardle, J. (1995). Development of a measure of the motives underlying the selection of food: the food choice questionnaire. Appetite, 25(3), 267-284. https://doi.org/10.1006/appe.1995.0061
CR  - Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2001). Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple-item scale. Journal of Retailing, 77(2), 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00041-0
UR  - https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1697883
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4863635
ER  -