Consumer perception of and involvement in healthy and sustainable eating: A cross-sectional study with American consumers

Global rising concerns about non-communicable diseases and the environmental impact of food production require a call for action that involves a deeper understanding of how individuals make choices for healthy and sustainable diets. To further explore this topic, our study aimed at investigating how food involvement, perception, and sociodemographic factors influence the adoption of healthy and sustainable eating by using a socio-psychological model. Data were collected from a representative sample (n=1001) of the US population using an online survey and linear regression models were employed to test the hypotheses of our theoretical framework. The main findings indicated a positive influence of involvement in and perception of self-reported behaviors towards both sustainable and healthy eating. However, contrasting results were identified for the moderating role of perception, which had a significant and positive moderating effect between involvement and self-reported eating for sustainable diets only. Regarding sociodemographic characteristics affecting healthy dietary behaviors, our model suggested that age, employment status, dietary regimen, and BMI influence consumers’ self-reported healthy behaviors. Based on our findings, tailored strategies for policymakers and marketers are suggested. These strategies include education campaigns, widespread availability of sustainable products, and easily identifiable labeling systems. • Involvement in healthy diets is positively associated with healthy dietary behavior. • Involvement in sustainable diets is positively associated with sustainable dietary behavior. • For sustainable diets, the involvement-behavior link is moderated by perception. • Healthy diets are perceived as tastier and easier to prepare than sustainable ones. • The BMI and dietary regimen influence both healthy and sustainable eating behaviors.