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Health Promotion Journal of Australia Health Promotion Journal of Australia Society
Journal of the Australian Health Promotion Association
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Consumer evaluation of ‘Veggycation®’, a website promoting the health benefits of vegetables

Reetica Rekhy A C , Aila Khan B , Floris van Ogtrop A and Robyn McConchie A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Plant and Food Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney, Level 4, Biomedical Building, 1 Central Avenue, Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, NSW 2015, Australia.

B School of Business, University of Western Sydney, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: reetica.rekhy@sydney.edu.au

Health Promotion Journal of Australia 28(1) 21-29 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE16003
Submitted: 13 January 2016  Accepted: 10 May 2016   Published: 1 July 2016

Abstract

Issue addressed: Whether the website Veggycation® appeals to particular groups of consumers significantly more than other groups.

Methods: Australian adults aged ≥18 years (n = 1000) completed an online survey. The website evaluation instrument used was tested for validity and reliability. Associations between demographic variables and website evaluation dimensions of attractiveness, content, user-friendliness and loyalty intentions were examined using a general linear model (GLM). The appraisal of the website was further investigated based on the respondents’ daily consumption level of vegetables and the importance they attach to vegetable consumption in their diet, using GLM and a Tukey’s all-pair comparison.

Results: Veggycation® has a high level of acceptance among the Australian community with certain groups evaluating the website more favourably. These include women, people aged ≤ 29 years, higher income respondents, non-metro respondents and those who viewed vegetables as extremely important in their daily diet.

Conclusions: Customisation of the website for consumer groups with low vegetable consumption is recommended. Designing tailored communication tools will assist in enhancing the knowledge base of vegetable-related health benefits and may promote vegetable consumption among the Australian population.

So what?: The promotion of higher vegetable consumption is aided by tailored, well-designed web communication. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge for the education of organisations developing e-tools for promoting health education and literacy.

Key words: demographic groups, gender differences, vegetable consumption, website evaluation dimensions.


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