RT Journal Article
T1 Consumption patterns and key motivational drivers: an analysis of food behavior in Spanish households
A1 Beltrán De Miguel, Beatriz Teresa
A1 Del Pozo de La Calle, Susana
A1 Cuadrado Vives, María Carmen
A1 Ruiz-Moreno, Emma
AB Background/objectives: Based on data collected in a market study, this analysis examines the food consumption patterns of Spanish households and the main individual motivations behind the use of these foods in each consumption occasion.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study was conducted using the “Household Usage Panel” (2023). Individual food consumption at home was recorded through an online survey over the course of a full week, twice a year, throughout the year. For each consumption occasion, the primary reason for the food choice was also recorded, selected from predefined options: “product was available,” “for health,” “by habit,” “taste,” “for pleasure/I felt like it,” and “quick/easy to prepare.”Results: The sample included 5,207 individuals (4,000 households), representative of the Spanish population, excluding the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. The food groups used by more than 80% of the panelists include cereals and cereal products, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy products, and fruit. For all products combined, 80.2% of consumers reported that, on at least one consumption occasion, the primary reason for use was “for taste,” 77.1% “for pleasure/I felt like it” followed by “health” (68.4%), “product was available” (59.2%), “habit” (55.3%), and “quick/easy to prepare” (47.6%). For each food group, the primary reason for use varied by occasion, with “for taste” and “for pleasure/I felt like it” chosen by a higher percentage of consumers. An exception was found with the fruit and olive oil groups, where the main reason for consumption chosen by a larger percentage of consumers on some occasions was health (57.4 and 30.8%, respectively).Conclusion: Understanding the motives behind food consumption in Spanish households helps us better grasp specific dietary behaviors. Taste and pleasure have been identified in this study as key factors in food choices at home. These insights suggest the need for a renewed approach to food policies and interventions that promote healthy eating, with the potential for lasting improvements in dietary quality over the medium to long term.
PB Frontiers
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/121878
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/121878
LA eng
NO Beltrán-de-Miguel B, del-Pozo-de-la-Calle S, Cuadrado-Vives C and Ruiz-Moreno E (2025) Consumption patterns and key motivational drivers: an analysis of food behavior in Spanish households. Front. Nutr. 12:1526957. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1526957
NO The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (AES DTS22/00038). The publication fee was financed by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (FEI 23/02).
NO Instituto de Salud Carlos III
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 27 jun 2025