Understanding food choice factors of rural households from northwest Vietnam

Purpose This study aims to investigate the food choice motivations of rural households using a cross-sectional dataset of 510 households from northwest Vietnam interviewed in 2016. Design/methodology/approach A modified Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is used to assess factors related to food choice and explore relationships between food choice factors, diet quality and various sociodemographic characteristics. Findings Results show four distinct food choice factors: Natural and healthy, Familiarity, Balanced diet and Convenience. Two distinct consumer clusters are identified: Health-conscious households and Pragmatic households. Health-conscious households rank Balanced diet and Natural and healthy highly, while Pragmatic households prioritize Convenience and Familiarity. Health-conscious households have significantly more diverse diets, are wealthier and have a greater geographic concentration in the high vegetable density per capita-high elevation areas (36%). Their main food preparers are more educated and about 13% have Kinh ethnicity. Research limitations/implications Further research is warranted to explore the temporal dimension of parental food choice motivations given the changing agrifood system in Vietnam. Originality/value This study is one of the few studies that assess the food choice motivations among ethnic minority groups in a rural setting.

Automated summary

The study identified four distinct food choice factors: Natural and healthy, Familiarity, Balanced diet, and Convenience, as well as two distinct consumer clusters: Health-conscious households and Pragmatic households. Health-conscious households prioritize Balanced diet and Natural and healthy, while Pragmatic households prioritize Convenience and Familiarity.