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

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

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HEALTHCARE
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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HEALTHCARE
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.