Social Influences on Food Purchasing Behaviors: A Study on Media and Marketing, Gender Roles and Stereotypes, and Policies and Programs

This paper focuses on social influences to determine how they affect food purchasing behaviors. Knowledge of these aspects will be essential in putting the appropriate actions into play with the aim of promoting healthy dietary intakes for healthier living. A policy program which can be executed to encourage the purchase of healthy foods will also be included.

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Running head: HEALTHCARE
Food, Nutrition, and Society
Name
Department
Institution
Word Count: 2000

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Food-related behaviors can be defined as how people act towards food. Different factors
influence our food choices which include physical, biological, economic, and sociological
factors. These factors contribute to optimum nutrition which is essential for good health,
wellbeing and normal body development. This paper will focus on social influences to determine
how they affect food purchasing behaviors. Knowledge of these aspects will be essential in
putting the appropriate actions into play with the aim of promoting healthy dietary intakes for
healthier living. A policy program which can be executed to encourage the purchase of healthy
foods will also be included.
Social influences
The Media and Marketing
Television use in marketing is one of the prevalent ways in which entrepreneurs market
their products and provide exposure to the newly available products. Most of these
advertisements involve discretionary foods which have little or no dietary value. In a study
conducted in Australia, it was inferred that these advertisements target children by airing them
most when children make up a large percentage of the audience .1 This gives children exposure to
junk foods. Children, being vulnerable to persuasion, are likely to make candy part of the
everyday selection of food. 1 Due to increased intake of unhealthy foods, obesity is high among
children. Therefore, food marketing through advertisements influences food preference in
children who end up requesting their parents to purchase these foods for them.
Media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube make platforms for most
companies to market their food products. These are known to have both positive and negative

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influence on youth food behaviors. Most youth post on social media foods that they are eating or
someone else is eating. As a result, food companies take advantage to advertise their foods in a
consumer-driven way.2 These advertisements are done in creative ways such as the use of flash
animation, music and games.2 Additionally, the food companies create Facebook pages in which
administrators like and comment pictures uploaded by the youth. This increases the desire of the
youth to purchase their foods and even help them with marketing through sharing with their
friends.2 Social media platforms, therefore, greatly influence food purchases.
Gender roles and Stereotypes
The differences in how men and women consume food are related to what society views
as normal and beliefs according to culture.3 For instance, there are foods that are associated with
masculinity while others are associated with femininity. Men are associated with taking more
energy giving foods derived from animal products, for example, meat, which increases their
chance of buying these foods.3 On the other hand, vegetables and fruits are associated with
females thus the chance of women purchasing these foods is high. Therefore, each gender
purchases food with regard to how they are stereotyped in society.
Research shows that women are more knowledgeable about nutrition than men. For
women, the amount of nutrition in the food that they take the matter to them. While men may
prefer foods that are high in fat, women prefer foods that are more nutritious with low amounts
of calorie.3 Women are much likely to limit what they eat since they are more health-conscious
compared to men. Thus, women are more likely to purchase healthy foods which make them
avoid conditions like obesity and thus reduce their chance of getting chronic illnesses. This leads
to healthier living.

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Policies and Programs
Media and Marketing
Social media and text messaging is a program that can be implemented to encourage the
purchase of healthy foods.4 This program is suitable due to its ability to reach a wide range of
people as text messaging is reported to be a common way of communicating and media
platforms very prevalent among smartphone holders.4 Also, the program is cheap and is
considerate of diverse age groups since text messaging is used across all ages. In-text messages,
the receiver’s name can be used to send more personalized text messages.4 A weekly challenge
could be included and a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question asked to encourage feedback from people.4 This
allows for evaluation of the progress of the program. Other information can be added to the text
messages, for instance, information about nutrition, recipes for encouraging nutritious food for
consumption, and the stores in which those foods can be purchased and the prices they cost.
Media platforms such as Facebook can be used to post longer posts frequently. The posts
can be posted in the evening targeting when most social media users are online which promotes
communication and feedback.4 All posts on Instagram can be linked to those on Facebook so that
no information will be found on one site while missing on the other. Since only a few people are
Twitter users, it can be used to link with organizations that have a similar goal in mind.4
Hashtags can be widely used to categorize the content and assist users in finding it quickly.
Therefore, media platforms and messaging program can be a way of implementing strategies that
are useful in promoting healthy food purchases leading to a healthy lifestyle.
Gender Roles and Stereotypes

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Use of health promotion policy can be an effective way of promoting healthy food
behaviors. Many health promotion programs tend to be gender-neutral. Many measures are put
into play by women who are socially considered caregivers in the household. Consequently,
messages in health promotion policies target women neglecting the role of men in promoting
healthy lifestyles.5 Implementing health promotion policies that address both genders can be
helpful in promoting the purchase of healthy foods. Using health promotion campaigns to
address both men and women of all ages can be an effective way of improving the purchase of
healthy foods. Also, introducing high taxes on unhealthy foods can be an effective way of
discouraging consumers from purchasing them.6 The revenue from taxation can be used to fund
initiatives to foster diet. This can lead to healthier eating habits and therefore reduce the burden
of disease.
Food purchasing behavior in Australia is an area that needs a lot of attention. The
influencing factors that have been focused on in this paper can greatly improve or regress the
progress towards healthier buying of foods by consumers depending on how they are viewed.
Luckily, policies and programs can be put in place to regulate the effects of these food behavior
influences positively. These policies, if implemented well can go a long way in ensuring a
healthy purchasing nation. Implementing these initiatives in children can ensure a generation that
does not suffer from conditions related to the unhealthy purchase of food.
The Letter
Federal Minister for Communication,
25 September 2019
Dear Sir/Madam,

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I am writing to share my opinion about media influence and its impact to the
improvement of health. Health professionals ought to have online presence to educate people on
healthy living styles. Media is also a great way which can be used to spread influence and to
contribute to health behavior change. The media, being flexible, gives an opportunity to post
information and create groups which give health care practitioners a chance to make knowledge
go viral to different age groups. For instance, social media can be used to inform the aging how
they can manage chronic illnesses by themselves.
Social media and texting program have practicalities that make it effective. This program,
unlike other healthy food purchase trials, involves many social media sites which improve its
efficiency. Timely and personalized content is also posted by users of this policy, for instance,
posting culture-specific content. These have proved to be successful ways of promoting these
platforms. Accounts created using this policy are linked which helps in spreading messages to a
large audience. The reaction by followers in terms of likes, comments and shares are helpful in
improving the quality of the content. Watching a demonstration of vegetables being cooked on
television increases the chances of a consumer purchasing the vegetables which is a healthy way
of eating.
This policy positively impacts food purchasing habits in a way that receiving and giving
feedback on healthy food intake increases its consumption. In addition, receiving information
from a dietician and being able to send feedback increases the intake of healthy foods since
information is provided on how the food intake benefits the body. Since the forum is interactive,
consumers are likely to influence each other in the right direction. This program facilitates
information on the health risks that could arise from failure to purchase healthy foods which
makes consumers consider taking healthy foods. The policy distributes evidence-based

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information on social media which helps to prevent childhood obesity. This policy, therefore, is
essential in impacting behaviors fir a positive food purchase in Australia.
Achieving these positive food-related behaviors is a responsibility of the media since
consumers rely on the sites to obtain information about food so as to make decisions about food
purchase. Positive postings about a particular food increase the chances of the consumer
knowing how healthy the food is which in turn encourage them to purchase the food. It is also a
responsibility of the media to curb the advertisements that advertise junk foods especially those
that target children to prevent obesity in children. The media should also make use of banners
and posters which encourage everyone, irrespective of gender or age to observe healthy food
purchase. Every possible way to pass information, including newspapers, should be advocating
for healthy food purchases and the effects that poor food purchases have on an individual’s
health and Australia as a nation. Since the use of media is the most effective way of passing
information, achieving these efforts should be a priority for change to be realized.
Yours faithfully,
Reflection
Knowledge
Knowledge about food can be grouped into different domains which include where to
access the food, the nutritional values of the food, and its preparation. Knowledge of the
nutritional value of food influences the foods that I buy since I am aware of the nutritional values
that I will gain once I eat the food. Being able to know about the food helps me with purchasing
food that is within my skill set and can be made within the available time.10 Knowledge of
cooking skills also influences the food choice that I make. For instance, I know how to make

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foods that require three ingredients. This limits me to only buying foods that have complete
nutritional value as I am able to visualize the food that I will be making. I know my family’s
food preference which comes in handy when purchasing food to satisfy my family
requirements.12 I also purchase food which I do not need to use measurements or recipes to
prepare them as I know the time it will take to prepare these foods.
Location, Accessibility, Availability
When considering availability before I purchase food, not only do I consider the available
foods based on my location but also the availability of food preparation equipment and
appliances that are required to prepare a healthy meal.12 For instance, I cannot buy food that
requires an oven to prepare while I lack the oven. I also consider the availability of storage
equipment before I make food purchases. When making food purchases, I also consider access to
personal transportation. This increases my chances of accessing food stores and supermarkets
that offer a range of healthy foods.
Whether these are important influences both to self and others
Personally, I consider knowledge as a fundamental influential factor on my decisions
regarding food purchase. Purchasing food based on other people’s preferences is also an
important aspect to others. Besides, food availability is also an influential factor since it limits
individuals to specific decisions about the food stuffs they ought to buy based on availability.
Therefore, these factors are equally important when making food purchases. Therefore, these
factors alongside others are important when making food purchase choices.

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