Physical Health of Food Consumers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The present research aims to analyze the habits observed in the perception of the general physical health condition of Portuguese food consumers in the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation is focused on indicators such as weight, physical activity, and consumption habits through the adoption of healthy and not healthy food. Centered on a quantitative approach, the research is based on the application of a questionnaire to a sample of 741 Portuguese consumers, between November 2020 and February 2021, a period during which the most severe measures of social isolation were imposed by the Portuguese government, since the beginning of the pandemic. Moreover, the questionnaire was applied to consumers over 18 years old. According to this population, and considering a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 4%, the sample has a minimum of 601 responses. Being so, the results of this research are representative for the Portuguese food consumers. The theoretical model was estimated using Partial Least Squares (PLS) in the Smart PLS 3.0 software. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the Portuguese perception of their weight did not change in the pandemic, despite showing that in general, the pandemic had a negative impact on their physical condition. On the other hand, the results show that the Portuguese associate the practice of physical exercise with physical well-being. Respondents also confirm a positive relationship between “positive eating behaviors (such as consumption of fruits and vegetables, low saturated foods and rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats” and water consumption) and “the perception of physical health in general”. On the contrary, respondents’ perception of the choice of negative eating behaviors (measured by the consumption of products with a high content of salt and sugar, snacks, and processed frozen and pre-cooked foods) have a negative impact on the “assessment of physical health, in the COVID-19 pandemic”. Hence, it was concluded that the Portuguese consider that an eventual increase in weight does not necessarily correspond to a perception of worse physical health; the practice of physical exercise and good eating habits corresponds to a perception of better physical health; the adoption of bad eating habits corresponds to the perception of bad physical health.

Evolution of the Online Grocery Shopping Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empiric Study from Portugal

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated and accelerated these behavioral changes, as consumers have had to adapt to new policies to respond to public health problems. This created an environment of uncertainty in the markets and for people about the future [4,62]. Despite the advantages of online grocery shopping (timesaving, convenience, search for lower prices, differentiated products, among others), some flaws are still attributed to online grocery shopping, such as inadequate product substitution, the fee for online purchases, lack of control over perishable product selection, labeling limitations preventing consumers from having complete product information, and inability to find good deals online versus in-store [63].…”

“…Humans were only allowed to leave home in particular situations such as needing medical care, physical activities (in the vicinity where they lived), legal obligations, or shopping. Telework was imposed in the activities, except for workers in essential sectors (e.g., food factories, supermarkets, pharmacies) [4].…”

Similarities and Disparities of e-Commerce in the European Union in the Post-Pandemic Period

“…Also, e-commerce can reduce transaction costs and make communication between customers and firms more efficient while increasing the speed of transactions [14]. A further limitation arises from the influence of unfavorable online reviews on consumer decision-making, resulting in swift changes in consumer preferences for products or companies [19].…”

“…The transmission and manifestation of COVID-19 caused a significant amount of fatalities and had a major adverse effect on the global economy. This impact was particularly pronounced in stock markets, leading to adverse consequences [19][20][21][22][23].…”

Evaluation of consumers' motivations to do online food shopping in Turkey

“…Focusing on the last few years, consumers have substantially engaged in food shopping through the Internet because of the COVID-19 pandemic (Eriksson and Stenius, 2022;Gomes and Lopes, 2022). The pandemic has stimulated the consumers' perception and habits positively towards online shopping for food due to some unexpected changes in people's daily lives such as temporary curfews, the disrupted supply chain and fear of being in crowded places (Rout et al, 2022;Oliveira et al, 2021). A report by Eikelmann et al (2022) stressed that online food shopping in the total retailing market will increase and consumer behaviors will continue to transform during the post-COVID-19 period.…”