Alternative food purchase intention with moderating role of health consciousness: perspective from non-working housewives

This study investigated the factors influencing the intention of non-working housewives in Malaysia to purchase alternative food products, focusing on the moderating role of health consciousness. It examined key drivers of buying behaviour, including attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Data was collected from 218 respondents through a structured questionnaire administered to non-working housewives in Malaysia using a purposive sampling method to ensure the inclusion of the target demographic. SPSS 30.0 was used for descriptive analysis of respondents’ demographics, while SmartPLS 4.0 conducted PLS-SEM and bootstrap analyses to evaluate the proposed model and test its significance. The study found that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control—significantly influenced purchase intention. However, health consciousness did not strengthen the relationship between these factors and the intention to purchase alternative food products. This research contributed to understanding consumer behaviour in the alternative food market within emerging regions. It provided practical implications for policymakers, marketers, and producers to address non-working housewives’ health-consciousness preference in influencing their purchasing decisions, thus bridging gaps in consumer insights for this demographic.