Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2021.15.S1.S94

COVID-19 and changes in Korean consumers' dietary attitudes and behaviors  

Rha, Jong-Youn (Department of Consumer Science, Seoul National University)
Lee, Bohan (Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University)
Nam, Youngwon (Department of Consumer Science, Seoul National University)
Yoon, Jihyun (Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University)
Publication Information
Nutrition Research and Practice / v.15, no.sup1, 2021 , pp. 94-109 More about this Journal
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has dramatically changed nearly every aspect of our lives. Although Dietary lifestyle includes attitudes and behaviors to meet their most basic needs, but few studies have examined the pattern of changes in dietary lifestyle driven by COVID-19. This study explores changes in dietary attitudes and behaviors among Korean consumers after COVID-19. SUBJECTS/METHODS: An online survey was conducted with 549 Korean adults aged 20 and older to identify general demographics and changes in dietary attitudes and behaviors. Data were collected from Oct 12 to Oct 18, 2020. Frequency, percentage, and mean values were calculated and a K-means cluster analysis was performed to categorize consumers based on the 5S of dietary attitudes (i.e., savor-oriented, safety-oriented, sustainability-oriented, saving-oriented, and socializing-oriented). RESULTS: Findings indicate consumers considered safety, health, and freshness to be most important when choosing groceries and prepared meal such as home meal replacement and delivery food. Among the types of services, a large proportion of consumers increased their delivery and take-out services. Regarding retail channels, the increase in the use of online retailers was remarkable compared to offline retailers. Finally, consumers were classified into four segments based on changes in dietary attitudes: "most influenced," "seeking safety and sustainability," "abstaining from savor and socializing," and "least influenced." Each type of consumer exhibited statistically significant differences by sex, age, household composition, presence of disease, and perceived risk of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study provides initial insights for future research by identifying various aspects of dietary attitudes and behaviors among Korean consumers after COVID-19.
Keywords
COVID-19; dietary services; attitudes; consumer behaviors; cluster analysis;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Jose R, Narendran M, Bindu A, Beevi N, L M, Benny PV. Public perception and preparedness for the pandemic COVID 19: a health belief model approach. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health 2021;9:41-6.   DOI
2 Wolf LJ, Haddock G, Manstead ASR, Maio GR. The importance of (shared) human values for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Br J Soc Psychol 2020;59:618-27.   DOI
3 Dzielinski M. Measuring economic uncertainty and its impact on the stock market. Finance Res Lett 2012;9:167-75.   DOI
4 Keister LA, Benton R, Moody J. Lifestyles through expenditures: a case-based approach to saving. Sociol Sci 2016;3:650-84.   DOI
5 Coibion O, Gorodnichenko Y, Weber M. The Cost of the COVID-19 Crisis: Lockdowns, Macroeconomic Expectations, and Consumer Spending. Cambridge (MA): National Bureau of Economic Research; 2020.
6 Chetty R, Friedman JN, Hendren N, Stepner M; The Opportunity Insights Team. How did COVID-19 and Stabilization Policies Affect Spending and Employment? a New Real-Time Economic Tracker Based on Private Sector Data. Cambridge (MA): National Bureau of Economic Research; 2020.
7 Mitchell T, O'Donnell G, Taves R, Weselake-George Z, Xu A. Consumer Expenditures during COVID-19: an Exploratory Analysis of the Effects of Changing Consumption Patterns on Consumer Price Indexes. Ontario: Statistics Canada; 2020.
8 Baker SR, Farrokhnia RA, Meyer S, Pagel M, Yannelis C. How does household spending respond to an epidemic? Consumption during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Rev Asset Pricing Stud 2020;10:834-62.   DOI
9 Barua A, Levin D. What's Weighing on Consumer Spending: Fear of COVID-19 and Its Economic Impact. London: Deloitte; 2020.
10 Altig D, Baker S, Barrero JM, Bloom N, Bunn P, Chen S, Davis SJ, Leather J, Meyer B, Mihaylov E, et al. Economic uncertainty before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Public Econ 2020;191:104274.   DOI
11 Byrne S, Hopkins A, McIndoe-Calder T, Sherman M. The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Spending. Dublin: Central Bank of Ireland; 2020.
12 Hall MC, Prayag G, Fieger P, Dyason D. Beyond panic buying: consumption displacement and COVID-19. J Serv Manag 2020;32:113-28.   DOI
13 Dalgleish R. How the COVID-19 Pandemic has Accelerated the Shift to Online Spending. Newport: Office for National Statistics; 2020.
14 Dziadkowiec J, Rood AS. Casual-dining restaurant preferences: a cross-cultural comparison. J Foodserv Bus Res 2015;18:73-91.   DOI
15 Janssen M, Chang BP, Hristov H, Pravst I, Profeta A, Millard J. Changes in food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of consumer survey data from the first lockdown period in Denmark, Germany, and Slovenia. Front Nutr 2021;8:635859.   DOI
16 Langeland S. COVID-19 lockdowns are central planning. J Statesmanship Public Policy 2021;2:3-23.
17 Wallheimer B. How South Korea Limited COVID-19 Deaths and Economic Damage. Chicago (IL): Chicago Booth Review; 2020.
18 Yoon J. Future of Honbap (Solo Dining). Food and Health Division Forum of Korean Medical Association. Seoul: Korean Medical Association; 2018.
19 Unnikrishnan A, Figliozzi M. A study of the impact of COVID-19 on home delivery purchases and expenditures [Internet]. Portland: Portland State University Library; 2020 [cited 2021 March 28]. Available from: https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33410.
20 Chronopoulos DK, Lukas M, Wilson JOS. Consumer spending responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: an assessment of Great Britain. In: COVID Economics. Washington, D.C.: Center for Economic Policy Research; 2020. p.145-80.
21 Andersen AL, Hansen ET, Johannesen N, Sheridan A. Pandemic, shutdown and consumer spending: lessons from Scandinavian policy responses to COVID-19. arXiv. Forthcoming 2020.
22 Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. 2019 Processed Food Segmentation Market Status. Naju: Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation; 2019.
23 Dunn A, Hood K, Driessen A. Measuring the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Consumer Spending Using Card Transaction Data. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; 2020.
24 Min KM, Kim HS. The effect of the dietary life style of female consumers on HMR purchase behavior: HMR involvement as moderating variable. Foodserv Ind J 2017;13:65-82.   DOI
25 Rha JY, Lee B, Chun Y, Han S, Ko J. Factors influencing consumer choice for home meal replacement using local food: focused on alphabet theory. J East Asian Soc Diet Life 2020;30:492-42.
26 Sierra-Johnson J, Unden AL, Linestrand M, Rosell M, Sjogren P, Kolak M, De Faire U, Fisher RM, Hellenius ML. Eating meals irregularly: a novel environmental risk factor for the metabolic syndrome. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008;16:1302-7.   DOI
27 Paoli A, Tinsley G, Bianco A, Moro T. The influence of meal frequency and timing on health in humans: the role of fasting. Nutrients 2019;11:719.   DOI
28 Hassen TB, Bilali HE, Allahyari MS. Impact of COVID-19 on food behavior and consumption in Qatar. Sustainability 2020;12:1-18.   DOI
29 Chen MF, editor. Food-related lifestyle and trust-in-food-safety typology in Taiwan. Proceedings of the International Conference on Pacific Rim Management 19th Annual Meeting; 2009 Jul 30-Aug 1 San Francisco (CA), USA.
30 Maddock J. The relationship between obesity and the prevalence of fast food restaurants: state-level analysis. Am J Health Promot 2004;19:137-43.   DOI
31 Currie J, DellaVigna S, Moretti E, Pathania V. The effect of fast food restaurants on obesity and weight gain. Am Econ J Econ Policy 2010;2:32-63.   DOI
32 Davis B, Carpenter C. Proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools and adolescent obesity. Am J Public Health 2009;99:505-10.   DOI
33 Grashuis J, Skevas T, Segovia MS. Grocery shopping preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability 2020;12:5369.   DOI
34 Braithwaite I, Stewart AW, Hancox RJ, Beasley R, Murphy R, Mitchell EAISAAC Phase Three Study GroupISAAC Phase Three Study Group. Fast-food consumption and body mass index in children and adolescents: an international cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2014;4:e005813.   DOI
35 Jacob L, Stubbs B, Firth J, Smith L, Haro JM, Koyanagi A. Fast food consumption and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 32 countries. J Affect Disord 2020;266:63-70.   DOI
36 Goddard E. The impact of COVID-19 on food retail and food service in Canada: Preliminary assessment. Can J Agric Econ 2020;68:157-61.   DOI
37 Rosenstock I. Historical origins of the health belief model. Health Educ Monogr 1974;2:328-35.   DOI
38 Chenarides L, Grebitus C, Lusk JL, Printezis I. Food consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agribusiness (N Y N Y) 2020;37:44-81.