Young adults’ attitudes towards food and health can be sorted into six unique lifestyle profiles, University of Queensland research has found.
Professor Helen Truby and Dr Clare Dix from UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences said the research would help people developing social marketing materials create more effective campaigns targeting young Australian adults.
“To create impactful health campaigns, we need to understand the barriers and enablers for young adults in adopting different food choices,” Professor Truby said.
“Currently, there is a strong focus on a ‘one-size-fits-all’ method which leaves sections of an audience uninterested, unmotivated and unlikely to make changes.
“Marketers need to understand that the lifestyles, attitudes and motivations for changing dietary behaviours are extremely vast amongst young adults, and messaging should be tailored.”
The six psycho-behavioural profiles are defined as; the Lifestyle Mavens, Aspirational Healthy Eaters, Balanced-all Rounders, Health Conscious, Contemplating Another Day, and the Blissfully Unconcerned.
Dr Dix said tailoring approaches to social media campaigns would offer a greater opportunity to engage individuals in positive behaviour change and modification.
“Communications that might work for a ‘Lifestyle Maven’ are likely to fall flat when presented to a ‘Blissfully Unconcerned’ behavioural type,” Dr Dix said.
“Where a ‘Lifestyle Maven’ is more likely to choose healthy foods, have better skills in meal planning and have the highest satisfaction levels with their eating habits, a ‘Blissfully Unconcerned’ type is completely the opposite.
“This research will not only help marketers understand who they are trying to target and how to reach them, but it will also result in more effective and cost-effective campaigns being delivered.”
The project is being delivered in partnership with Monash University, RMIT University and Burnet Institute.
Media: Dr Clare Dix c.dix@uq.edu.au ; UQ Communications Bridget Druery b.druery@uq.edu.au (+61) 435 221 246.
