SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpublic_health, nutrition

cross-sectional·public_health, nutrition, preventive_medicine, health_psychology·PMC10137707

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Organic Food Continuous Purchase Intentions during the Post-Pandemic Era: An Empirical Investigation in China

Foods · 4 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 96%

POPULATIONChinese consumers aged 20+ living in China (n=460 usable responses)

INTERVENTIONExposure to organic food purchasing context during the post-COVID-19 pandemic era

COMPARISONModified TPB model vs. standard TPB model

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

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TL;DR

This study investigated factors influencing Chinese consumers' continued intention to purchase organic food after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a modified Theory of Planned Behavior (M-TPB) model with 460 respondents, the researchers found that attitude, perceived behavioral control, face consciousness, group conformity, health consciousness, perceived value of organic food, and the impact of COVID-19 all significantly predicted continued purchase intentions. The M-TPB model explained 65% of the variance in purchase intentions, substantially outperforming the standard TPB model (40%).

Full summary

3,762 CHARS

**Background:** The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered consumer food purchasing behaviors, with organic food gaining popularity due to its perceived health and safety benefits. The global organic food market grew from $115 billion in 2019 to $136 billion in 2021. In China, the fourth-largest organic market, organic food sales reached $15.83 billion in 2021, an 18.3% increase over 2020. However, organic food still constitutes less than 1% of China's total food market. Previous research focused on initial purchase intentions during the pandemic, but little was known about factors driving continued purchase intentions in the post-pandemic period, particularly in the Chinese context.

**Methods:** Data were collected via an online questionnaire (www.wenjuan.com) distributed through WeChat from November 1–15, 2022. The target population was Chinese consumers aged 20 years and older. Of 514 questionnaires received, 54 were excluded due to linear response patterns or incomplete data, yielding 460 usable responses (89.5% usable rate). The sample was 51.7% female and 48.3% male, with most respondents aged 20–30 years. The questionnaire used a 7-point Likert scale and measured nine constructs: attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), face consciousness, group conformity, health consciousness, perceived value of organic food (PVOF), impact of COVID-19 (IOC), and continuous purchase intention (CPI). Data were analyzed using SPSS v29 and AMOS v29, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for reliability and validity, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM) for hypothesis testing.

**Key Results:** The M-TPB model demonstrated superior explanatory power (R² = 0.65) compared to the standard TPB model (R² = 0.40). Both models showed good fit: for M-TPB, RMSEA = 0.045, CFI = 0.973, TLI = 0.973, IFI = 0.968, GFI = 0.926, χ²/df = 1.916. All Cronbach's α values exceeded 0.7, composite reliability (CR) ranged from 0.819 to 0.938, and AVE scores ranged from 0.601 to 0.835, confirming adequate reliability and validity. Path analysis revealed that attitude (β = 0.223, t = 7.647, p < 0.001) and PBC (β = 0.051, t = 2.582, p < 0.05) significantly predicted CPI in the M-TPB model. Subjective norms were not significantly related to CPI (β = 0.057, t = 1.515, p > 0.05). Face consciousness (β = 0.082, t = 3.315, p < 0.001) and group conformity (β = 0.102, t = 4.768, p < 0.001) both significantly influenced CPI. Health consciousness showed a strong positive effect (β = 0.338, t = 7.861, p < 0.001). PVOF had the largest influence among M-TPB constructs (β = 0.2100, t = 5.816, p < 0.01). IOC significantly and positively affected health consciousness (β = 0.190, t = 5.122, p < 0.001), PVOF (β = 0.272, t = 6.900, p < 0.001), and CPI (β = 0.091, t = 3.714, p < 0.001).

**Clinical Implications:** While this study is not directly clinical, it has public health implications. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a window of opportunity for promoting healthier and safer food choices, including organic food consumption. Health consciousness emerged as a critical driver of continued organic food purchase intentions, indicating that public health messaging emphasizing the health benefits of organic food could be effective. The significant role of IOC suggests that pandemic-related health concerns can be leveraged to encourage sustained healthy eating behaviors. For stakeholders in the organic food industry, strategies should focus on communicating the nutritional and safety value of organic products, leveraging social influences (face consciousness and group conformity), and reinforcing positive attitudes toward organic food to maintain consumer engagement in the post-pandemic era.

PICO

PPOPULATION

Chinese consumers aged 20+ living in China (n=460 usable responses)

IINTERVENTION

Exposure to organic food purchasing context during the post-COVID-19 pandemic era

OOUTCOME

Continuous purchase intention (CPI) for organic food, measured via 7-point Likert scale

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public_health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

96% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10137707

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Organic Food Continuous Purchase Intentions during the Post-Pandemic Era: An Empirical Investigation in China

Foods

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

During the evolutionary phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers’ eating habits and spending behaviours have progressively shifted to the pursuit of the safer and healthier food products, such as organic food. Therefore, this study investigated the factors affecting Chinese buyers’ organic food continuous purchase intentions (CPI) during the post-pandemic era. To better adapt to the current consumption context in China, this study proposed a modified TPB framework (M-TPB), by replacing subjective norms with Chinese cultural variables, such as face consciousness and group conformity, and adding constructs of perceived value of organic food (PVOF), health consciousness, and the impact of COVID-19 (IOC). Convincingly, experimental results from a structural equation model analysis of 460 usable responses indicate that M-TPB has superior explanatory power (R 2 = 65%) compared with the TPB model (R 2 = 40%) for explaining organic food CPI during the post-pandemic period. The path analysis demonstrated that perceived behavioural control, attitude, face consciousness, group conformity, health consciousness, IOC, and PVOF had substantial positive effects on CPI, while subjective norms were not significantly related. Moreover, IOC exhibited a positive and significant relationship with health consciousness and PVOF. These findings can be useful for stakeholders in the Chinese organic food industry to generate timely promoting strategies during the post-pandemic period.

CITATION EXPORT

Xin Qi, Junjie Mou, Chaoyue Meng et al.. Factors Influencing Consumers’ Organic Food Continuous Purchase Intentions during the Post-Pandemic Era: An Empirical Investigation in China. Foods. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081636

AUTHORS

4 · 2 CENTRES

Xin Qi, Junjie Mou, Chaoyue Meng, Angelika Ploeger

1Management College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
2Specialized Partnerships in Sustainable Food Systems and Food Sovereignty, University of Kassel, 37213 Kassel, Germany

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Derek V. Byrne