A Study on the Mediating Role of Product Cognition in Infant and Young Children's Complementary Food Purchasing Intention and Behavior
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This article aimed to study (1) the impact of purchase intention and food safety awareness on parents’ purchasing behavior of infant and young children’s complementary food, (2) the mediating role of product cognition, and (3) to establish a causal relationship model explaining these factors. The study employed a quantitative research design based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The sample consisted of 540 parents of infants and young children in China, who were selected through an online random sampling method. The research instruments included four types of questionnaires: (1) Purchase Intention, (2) Product Cognition, (3) Food Safety Awareness, and (4) Purchasing Behavior. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0 software.
The research results were found as follows:
1.Purchase intention and food safety awareness had a significant positive effect on consumers’ product cognition regarding infant complementary food.
2.Product cognition significantly influenced actual purchasing behavior.
3.Product cognition played a mediating role between purchase intention, food safety awareness, and purchasing behavior.
The findings demonstrate that product cognition serves as a critical bridge connecting consumers’ psychological intention and actual purchase actions. This highlights the necessity for manufacturers to strengthen product-related communication strategies, improve consumers’ perception of safety and quality, and enhance trust in infant complementary food. The results also provide empirical support for policy makers and public health agencies in developing more effective strategies for ensuring product safety and promoting healthy food consumption behaviors among parents of young children.
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