Consumption preferences and healthy habits: a study of active wellness consumers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18779/csye.v9i2.1096Keywords:
healthy habits, responsible consumption, marketing, lifestyles, nudgesAbstract
This study explores the consumption habits and preferences of people who practice a healthy lifestyle, as well as the cultural, social, and economic factors that influence their adoption and sustainability. A mixed-methodological approach was used: semi-structured interviews were conducted with health and nutrition experts; a survey was administered to a non-probability convenience sample of people over 15 years of age residing in Guayaquil. The results reveal that, although there is growing awareness of the importance of comprehensive well-being, the main barriers to maintaining healthy habits are lack of time, environmental insecurity, high costs, and the influence of the social environment. Moderate trust in the food industry and a critical attitude toward products labeled as healthy were also evident. Social media, although useful for disseminating healthy practices, can also generate confusion or promote unrealistic lifestyles. The study highlights the potential of nutritional and ecological marketing, as well as nudge-based interventions, to facilitate more conscious dietary choices. The results highlight the need for clear, accessible, and culturally contextualized public policies and communication strategies that promote sustainable and healthy habits among the population.
Downloads
References
Abadeano Sanipatin, C. E., Mosquera Guilcapi, M. de J., Coello Viñán, J. E. y Coello Viñán, B. E. (2019). Alimentación saludable en preescolares: un tema de interés para la salud pública. Revista Eugenio Espejo, 13(1), 72-87. https://doi.org/10.37135/ee.004.06.09
Abramo, L., Cecchini, S. y Ullmann, H. (2020). Enfrentar las desigualdades en salud en América Latina: el rol de la protección social, Cienc. Saude coletiva, 25(5), 1587-1598. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020255.32802019
Arno, A. y Thomas, S. (2016). The efficacy of nudge theory strategies in influencing adult dietary behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC public health, 16, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3272-x
Cabezas García, E. (2024). Marketing nutricional, salud y bienestar para todos: La nueva apuesta de la industria alimentaria. Revista Cubana de Alimentación y Nutrición, 33(1), 246-259. https://revalnutricion.sld.cu/index.php/rcan/article/view/1490
Chandon, P. y Wansink, B. (2012). Does food marketing need to make us fat? A review and solutions. Nutrition Reviews, 70(10), 571–593. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00518.x
Cordero-Ahiman, O. V., Vanegas, J. L., Fernández-Lucero, C. A., Torres-Torres, D. F., Ayaviri-Nina, V. D. y Quispe-Fernández, G. M. (2022). Responsible Marketing in the Traffic Light Labeling of Food Products in Ecuador: Perceptions of Cuenca Consumers. Sustainability, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063247
Cristancho-Triana, G. J., Cancino-Gómez, Y. A. y Ninco-Hernández, F. A. (2024). Factores que influyen en el comportamiento de consumo sostenible en la generación Z. Retos Revista de Ciencias de la Administración y Economía, 14(27), 51-67. https://doi.org/10.17163/ret.n27.2024.04
Cueva Estrada, J. M., Sumba Nacipucha, N. A. y Delgado Figueroa, S. P. (2021). Marketing social y su incidencia en el comportamiento del consumidor. Revista Venezolana de Gerencia (RVG), 26(95), 852-867. https://doi.org/10.52080/rvgluz.27.95.25
Da Cruz, G. L., da Costa Louzada, M. L., Silva, J. T. da, Maria Fellegger Garzillo, J., Rauber, F., Schmidt Rivera, X., … Levy, R. B. (2024). The environmental impact of beef and ultra-processed food consumption in Brazil. Public Health Nutrition, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980023002975
Delgado da Silva, B. M., Bakay, E. K. y Batista de Morais, M. (2024). Safety in Public Open Green Spaces in Fortaleza, Brazil: A Data Analysis. Sustainability, 16(2), 539. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020539
Encalada Añazco, R. F., Peñaherrera Vásquez, D. L. . y González Illescas, M. L. (2021). Los superalimentos como tendencia del mercado: Un análisis de las oportunidades para las empresas exportadoras. INNOVA Research Journal, 6(2), 157–179. https://doi.org/10.33890/innova.v6.n2.2021.1627
FAO, FIDA, OPS, WFP y UNICEF. (2021). América Latina y el Caribe - Panorama regional de la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional 2021: estadísticas y tendencias. Santiago de Chile, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7497es
Forberger, S., Wichmann, F. y Comito, C. N. (2022). Nudges used to promote physical activity and to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace: Results of a scoping review. Preventive medicine, 155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106922
Gomez, L. F., Sarmiento, R., Ordoñez, M. F., Pardo, C. F., de Sá, T. H., Mallarino, C. H., Miranda, J. J., Mosquera, J., Parra, D. C., Reis, R. y Quistberg, D. A. (2015). Urban environment interventions linked to the promotion of physical activity: a mixed methods study applied to the urban context of Latin America. Social science & medicine (1982), 131, 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.02.042
Gordon, R., McDermott, L., Stead, M. y Angus, K. (2006). The effectiveness of social marketing interventions for health improvement: what's the evidence?. Public health, 120(12), 1133–1139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2006.10.008
Guerrero Cabrera, J., Vera Torres, H., Ascencio Burgos, K., Sumba Nacipucha, N. y Cueva Estrada, J. (2024). Employability ant it´s influence on the quality of life of Generation X in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Espergesia, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.18050/rev.espergesia.v11i2.2933
INEC. (2018). Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición ENSANUT. Obtenido de https://bit.ly/440WFse
Keller, K. L. y Kotler, P. (2021). Marketing Management (16th ed.). Pearson.
Ledderer, L., Kjær, M., Madsen, E. K., Busch, J. y Fage-Butler, A. (2020). Nudging in Public Health Lifestyle Interventions: A Systematic Literature Review and Metasynthesis. Health education & behavior, 47(5), 749–764. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120931788
León, K. V., Chila, R. L. y Bastidas, L. F. (2024). Impacto de calidad de vida en trabajadores del sector privado ecuatoriano: ley humanitaria 2020. Ágora de heterodoxias, 10(1), 66-86. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10615768
Lindstrom, K. N., Tucker, J. A. y McVay, M. (2023). Nudges and choice architecture to promote healthy food purchases in adults: A systematized review. Psychology of addictive behaviors, 37(1), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000892
Mamani Escobar, B., Redrovan, D., Villeda, E. y Hernández Santana, A. (2021). ¿Somos conscientes del efecto de las redes sociales en nuestra nutrición? . Innovare: Revista De Ciencia Y tecnología, 10(3), 178–180. https://doi.org/10.5377/innovare.v10i3.12990
Ministerio de salud pública MSP (2018). ENCUESTA STEPS ECUADOR 2018 MSP, INEC, OPS/OMS Vigilancia de enfermedades no transmisibles y factores de riesgo. https://bit.ly/3YIxh6U
Nosi, C., D'Agostino, A., Pratesi, C. A. y Barbarossa, C. (2021). Evaluating a social marketing campaign on healthy nutrition and lifestyle among primary-school children: A mixed-method research design. Evaluation and program planning, 89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.101965
Oliveira T de S, Pereira A. (2024) Expressions of inequalities in access to health services in Latin America: a scoping review. Ciencia & saude coletiva, 29(7). https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232024297.04932024
Otten, H. S., & Seferidi, P. (2022). Prevalence and socioeconomic determinants of the double burden of malnutrition in mother-child pairs in Latin America and the Caribbean. BMJ nutrition, prevention & health, 5(2), 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000489
Pazmiño Rodríguez, J. M., Cueva Estrada, J. M., Sumba Nacipucha, N. A. y Lozano Castillo, A. N. (2021). Decisión de compra de la generación Z y su relación con el Marketing Ecológico. Journal of the Academy, (5), 62-77. https://doi. org/10.47058/joa5.5
Peattie, K. y Peattie, S. (2009). Social marketing: A pathway to consumption reduction? Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 260–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.01.033
Pérez, A. y Rodríguez, A. (2022). Economía conductual: un análisis desde la interdisciplinariedad y la complejidad. Apuntes del Cenes, 41 (74): 17–40. https://doi.org/10.19053/01203053.v41.n74.2022.13983
Peñafiel Espinoza, M. M. y Lopez Chila, R. D. (2012). Estudio sobre la utilización y efctividad del Comercio Electronico (E-comerce) y propuesta para su Implementacion en las Pymes del Sector Comercial de Guayaquil. [Tesis de posgrado, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana]. https://dspace.ups.edu.ec/handle/123456789/3168
Rosado, M., Yaguachi, R., Lomas, L., Villota, W. y Poveda , C. (2022). Uso de redes sociales y consumo de alimentos en adultos jóvenes que asisten a gimnasios de la ciudad de guayaquil. (2022). Nutrición Clínica Y Dietética Hospitalaria, 42(4). https://doi.org/10.12873/424Ryaguachi
Ruiz León, M. (2021). Formación nutricional comunitaria, entre agentes educativos de la primera infancia en Parral, Chihuahua, México. Espergesia, 8(1), 40-50. https://doi.org/10.18050/esp.2014.v8i1.2712
Sotomayor-Pereira, J. G., Guerrero Carrasco, M. J., Solórzano González, A. M. y Sarmiento Chugcho, C. B. . (2025). Análisis del comportamiento de consumo de sal en la provincia de El Oro, Ecuador: implicaciones para el mercado y la industria. Espergesia, 12(1), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.18050/rev.espergesia.v12i1.3418
Sumba Nacipucha, N., Cueva Estrada, J. y Yaguana Herrera, T. (2015). Análisis sobre la influencia del semáforo nutricional en la decisión de compra del consumidor en productos alimenticios. Paper presentado en II Congreso Salesiano de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para Sociedad (CITIS 2015).
Sumba Nacipucha, N. y Sanchez-Bayon, A. (2024). Avances en la economía conductual: Cambio paradigmático hacia una economía humanista. Telos: Revista De Estudios Interdisciplinarios En Ciencias Sociales, 26(2), 633–650. https://doi.org/10.36390/telos262.02
Torres, I., Villalba, J. J., López-Cevallos, D. F. y Galea, S. (2023). Governmental institutionalization of corporate influence on national nutrition policy and health: a case study of Ecuador. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 29, 100645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2023.100645
Tzikas, A., Koulierakis, G., Athanasakis, K. y Merakou, K. (2024). Nudging Interventions on Stair Use: A Scoping Review. Journal of Prevention, 45, 685–722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-024-00790-2
UNICEF (2021). Panorama regional de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional 2021. Obtenido de https://www.unicef.org/lac/comunicados-prensa/nuevo-informe-de-la-onu-el-hambre-en-america-latina-y-el-caribe-aumento
Vasco, C., Sánchez, C., Limaico, K. y Abril, V. H. (2018). Motivations to consume agroecological food: An analysis of farmers’ markets in Quito, Ecuador. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 119(1), 1–13. https://jarts.info/index.php/jarts/article/view/2018040955214
Xing, Y. y Liao, Y. (2024). Health or environment? How do motivations affect consumers' organic food purchasing behaviour in China?. British Food Journal, 126(10), 3779-3802. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-04-2024-0356
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Evelyn Lissette Benites Aspiazu, Ercilia María Franco Cedeño, Nicolás Armando Sumba Nacipucha, Jorge Manuel Cueva Estrada
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Licensing Agreement
This journal provides free access to its content through its website following the principle that making research available free of charge to the public supports a larger exchange of global knowledge.
Web content of the journal is distributed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements for the distribution of the version of the published work, provided that the initial publication in this journal is indicated. Authors are allowed and recommended to disseminate their work through the internet before and during the submission process, which can produce interesting exchanges and increase citations of the published work.
