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Dietary Supplement Users Vs. Non-users in

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Purposes

Conference Paper · January 2006

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 To cite:
Ghazali, E., Mutum, D. and Lee L. L. (2006). Dietary Supplement Users Vs Non-Users. Malaysia: Profile
Comparisons For Marketing Purposes. Eds. Welsh, D.H.B. et al. In: Proceedings of AGBA 3rd World
Congress, Advances in Global Business Research, 3 (1), 4 - 6 January 2006, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
pp. 43-54. (ISSN 1549-9332).
DIETARY SUPPLEMENT USERS VS NON-USERS IN MALAYSIA: PROFILE COMPARISONS FOR
MARKETING PURPOSES

Ezlika Ghazali
University of Malaya, Malaysia

Dilip Mutum
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Lee Lai Ching

University of Malaya, Malaysia

ABSTRACT
This study provides a demographic and psychographic profile of Malaysian dietary supplement
users. There were significant differences between regular and non-regular users were only noted in
terms of age, marital status, number of children and personal income while there was no significant
difference for other demographic variables. Six psychographic dimensions were identified. Regular
users of dietary supplements could be considered as price conscious and brand triers. This study
suggests some implications for marketers to think about when marketing dietary supplements.

INTRODUCTION

Available in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders and are easily obtained
from pharmacies, health food stores, clinics, Chinese medical halls, supermarkets/hypermarkets or even from many
direct-selling agents, there is increasing trend among Malaysians to use dietary supplements and herbal medicines to
improve their well-being. A dietary supplement is defined in the United States under the Dietary Supplement Health
and Education Act (DSHEA) 1994, as a product (other than tobacco) which is ingested and contains a "dietary
ingredient" intended to supplement the diet. These dietary ingredients include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other
botanicals, amino acids, substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandular, metabolites, extracts or concentrates
(FDA, 1994).

In Malaysia the dietary supplement market is huge. In 2002, it was reported that Malaysians spent an average of
US$17.30 a month on health supplements with the market for traditional medicines and other health foods, such as
herbs, foods, and beverages enriched with supplements was estimated to be worth US$526 million (Ahmad, 2002).
Over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare grew by 6% in current value terms to reach RM1 billion in 2003. It is expected
that Malaysian OTC healthcare would show moderate growth by 18% to reach RM1,283 million by 2008
(Euromonitor, 2004).

In view of the growing importance of this industry, this study specifically attempts to distinguish consumers along
demographic characteristics and psychographic dimensions in regards to dietary supplements. This study also seeks
to suggest some marketing implications from findings of this study for marketers to think about when marketing
dietary supplements.

As many studies have also shown that supplement users differ from non-users in demographic and lifestyle factors
(Lyle et al., 1998; Ishihara et al., 2003), it is hoped that a better understanding of consumer lifestyle profiles coupled
with better insights on consumers will allow marketers to develop appropriate products as well as position their
products better in the mind of the consumers.

43
 LITERATURE REVIEW

One of the biggest trends in the healthcare industry is that consumers are now taking charge of their health and they
are seeking alternative forms of medicines including dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and functional foods
(Greger, 2001).

Definition of Dietary Supplement User: Different researchers have defined ‘a user of dietary supplement’,
differently. A study in Korea by Kim et al. (2003) looking at the use of vitamins, minerals and other dietary
supplements by students, defined a user of vitamin and mineral supplements as a person who took vitamin and
mineral on more than 1 or 2 days per week for more than 1 month within the previous 12 month period. On the other
hand, Gunther (2004) studying herbal and specialty supplement use in Washington defined current user of
supplements as “use at least weekly over the past year”. Another study profiling dietary supplement users in Japan
by Ishihara et al. (2003), defined users of dietary supplements as subjects who used at least one category of dietary
supplement for more than 1 week and more than 1 year.

A report based on a compilation of 30 consumer surveys in America entitled “Consumer Research in the Nutrition
Industry II”, indicates that 70% of American adults could be characterized as supplement users (NBJ, 2002).
Supplement users can be further classified into sub-segments based on their volume of purchases as shown in the
Table 1.1 below.

Table 1.1: Classification of Dietary Supplement User Based on Volume of Purchase

Type of User Average Number of Purchases Per Month
Heavy User (4.3%) Five purchases or US$43 per month
Regular User (32%) One and two purchases or US$11 per month
Occasional User Once every two months
Rare User Once every five months

For the purpose of this study, a “user” of dietary supplement will be defined as those who use dietary supplements
for at least a week in the past one-year whereas regular usage would mean using it on daily or at least few times in a
week basis. Any other pattern of dietary supplement consumption of less than weekly will be defined as non-regular
user.

Demographic Characteristics of Users: Use of dietary supplement including vitamins and minerals, has been
reported to be strongly affected by several demographic characteristics, including gender, socioeconomic status, age
among others.

Gender: Females have been found to be more likely to take supplements than males in many studies (Patterson et
al., 1998; Xue et al., 1999 Greger, 2001). However, this has not always been the case. In the study by Kim et al.
(2003) on use of vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements by students in Korea, it was found that gender did
not influence the use of supplements.

Age: Age has also been shown to be strongly associated with supplement use in some population groups. Dietary
supplements are widely used by the elderly in the USA and Australia (Subar and Block, 1990; Patterson et al, 1998).
Furthermore, the first study to look at supplementation usage among the elderly in UK also found that a high
proportion of the elderly takes supplements to maintain good health (Johnson et al., 2000). A study in Japan by
Ishihara et al., (2003) also showed that prevalence of users was higher among the elderly respondents. However,
Xue et al. (1999) showed that typical Australian supplement users were younger (49 to 70 years) rather than older
(more than 70 years). In Malaysia, among the few studies conducted, Chong (1994), showed that the older
respondents (between 36 and 55 years) reported more frequent consumption of OTC products.

Residence Area: Ishihara et al., (2003) found that a high prevalence of dietary supplement users was observed in
metropolitan regions in Japan and in areas strongly influenced by Western lifestyles with ready access to dietary
supplements.

44
Socioeconomic Status: A number of studies have also indicated a strong association between supplement use with
higher income level (Kim et al., 2002). Studies by Lyle et al., (1998) and Kirk et al., (1999) showed that women
who use supplements tend to have an income that is greater then the median United States income. Kim et al. (2003)
also reported a positive association between use of vitamin/mineral supplement use and socioeconomic status of the
family.

Education: Sveral studies have shown that supplement users tend to be more educated (Koplan et al., 1986;
Patterson et al., 1998; Lyle et al., 1998; Kirk et al., 1999 and Xue et al. 1999).

Profession: Usage of supplements is also relatively high among health professionals, including doctors, dietitians
and pharmacists. This is a further indication that supplement use is strongly associated with increased knowledge
about nutrition and health. In a survey involving 4501 female physicians participating in the Women Physicians’
Health Study, it was found that half of them took a multivitamin-mineral supplement (Frank 2000). Xue et al.,
(1999) found that Australian supplement users were clerks or sales persons.

Race: Some studies also found that usage varied among ethnic groups too. Lyle et al. (1998) and Kirk et al. (1999)
showed that women who use supplements in US tend to be Caucasian. A Malaysian study by Chong (1994), found
that Malays tend to have the lowest frequency of usage of OTC products (including supplements) as compared with
Chinese, Indians and other races.

Psychographics of Users: The basic premise underlying psychographic research is that the more marketers
understand their consumer, the more effectively they can communicate and market to them (Plummer, 1974). Even
though there are attempts to differ between lifestyle and psychographics, the two terms are often used
interchangeably (Wells and Tigert, 1971).

An individual’s view about the health benefit of dietary supplement is recognized to be an important motivational
factor for dietary supplement use. Unfortunately, a review of the literature found that only a few psychographic or
lifestyle studies have been carried out on dietary supplement users in Malaysia as well as in other Asian countries.

Studies have revealed that supplement users consume moderate amounts of alcohol, are nonsmokers and more likely
to engage in physical activities (Lyle et al, 1998; Kirk, et al., 1999; Greger, 2001; Subar & Block, 1990; Ishihara,
2003). Users are also generally more likely to be more health conscious than non-supplement users (Lyle et al.,
1998; Patterson, 1998 and Xue et al., 1999). However, there are also indications that dietary supplements are likely
to be used by individuals who do not fit in the initial target group. Individuals might actually use functional foods
and/or dietary supplements as a means to compensate for an unhealthy lifestyle (Kirk, et al., 1999).

Consumer segments: Psychographics in research typically seeks to identify a limited set of distinct consumer types
to which marketers may direct different marketing efforts. In Singapore, Chan (1988) conducted a study to
determine the consumer’s orientation towards over-the-counter analgesics and antipyretics. Using 25 activity,
interest and opinion (AIO) statements to map out the psychographic profiles of the consumers, five patterns of
shopping orientation were identified, viz., ‘information seeker’, ‘brand trier’, ‘health and safety consciousness’,
‘healthy lifestyle’ and ‘stressful lifestyle respondents’.

Another study on OTC pharmaceutical products (including dietary supplements) conducted by Chong (1994) among
Malaysian and French consumers utilized 57 AIO statements to study the profile of the respondents. Based on
conceptual attributes of the AIO statement grouped by factor analysis, 12 lifestyle dimensions were identified
among Malaysian respondents, viz., ‘health but busy worrier’, ‘exerciser’, ‘opinion leader’, ‘reader’, ‘dieter’,
‘neighbourhood brand adviser’, ‘insurance believer’, ‘traditionalist’, ‘self medicators’, ‘cautious individuals’ and
‘sin avoider’. The results of this study showed that only the self medicator and cautious individual factors were
significant in determining the frequency of usage.

Among the studies in the US include that of Miller and Russell (2003), which looked at the decision-making criteria
used for dietary supplements at the point of purchase. The study involved 51 women aged 25 to 45 years who
consumed a supplement at least four times per week. Qualitatively, five homogenous subgroups of shoppers were
identified, viz., ‘Brand Shopper’, ‘Bargain Shopper’, ‘Convenience Shopper’, ‘Information Gatherer’ and ‘Quality

45
Shopper’. Another study involved comprehensive research and statistical analysis within the Health and Wellness
Trends carried out by the Natural Marketing Institute (2004), five mutually exclusive segments were identified.
These were ‘Well Beings’, ‘Food Actives’, ‘Magic Bullets’, ‘Fence Sitters’ and ‘Eat, Drink and be Merrys’.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research instrument: The survey instrument was a twelve-page questionnaires which was divided into three parts:
A, B and C. Part A was designed to measure the psychographic characteristics of the respondents based on the
findings of past research on over-the-counter pharmaceutical products and other products. This section consisted of
42 AIO statements. Respondents were required to rate their level of agreement to each statement on a 5-point Likert
type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Inputs for the AIO statements used were drawn from several sources, viz., Chan (1988), Chong (1996), Wells &
Tigert (1971), Reynolds (1974), Chong (1994), Tam and Tai (1998) and Kaur (1990).

Most of the statements were taken from Chan’s (1988) study. Five statements were slightly modified to suit this
study to measure information seeker consumer, brand trier consumer and stressful lifestyle consumer. The word
‘dietary supplements’ was used instead of ‘medicines’. Four statements were taken from Chong (1996) study on
lipstick and face powder consumers in the Klang Valley. Ten other statements were adopted from another study on
Malaysian and French customers of OTC Pharmaceutical products (Chong’s, 1994). A further five statements were
adopted from the AIO inventory developed by Wells and Tigert (1971). A statement each was adopted from
Reynold’s (1974) and Kaur (1990). Further two statements were adopted from Tam and Tai’s (1998) study. Table
2.1 below shows a summary of the AIO statements used in the study.
Part B is not relevant for this paper. Part C was designed to collect the demographic information of the respondents
and contained nine questions.

Pilot Test: Prior to the actual survey, a pilot test was conducted with five respondents who fulfilled the criteria of
the sample regarding the clarity of instructions and statements. Based on the feedback, the final questionnaire was
developed in two versions: English/Bahasa Melayu (230) and Chinese (170) via translation and retranslation
procedure.

Table 2.1: Details of Lifestyle Items Adopted In the Study

Statement Adapted from Measuring
1. I usually watch the advertisement for sales. Chong (1996) Price consciousness
Chong (1996)
7. I can save a lot of money by shopping around for
bargains.
Chong (1996)
14. I find myself checking the prices even for small items.
20. I usually compare prices before buying. Wells & Tigert (1971) Price consciousness
24. I shop a lot for “specials”. Wells & Tigert (1971)
4. I like to try new and different products. Chong (1996) Brand Trier
6. When I see a new brand on the shelf, I often buy it just Reynolds (1974)
to see what it is like.
38. I often try new brands before my friends and Wells & Tigert (1971)
neighbours do.
2. My choice of brands for many products is influenced by Chan (1988) Information seeker
advertisements and commercials.
22. My friends usually give me pretty good advice on what Chan (1988)
brands of things to buy.
39. I often seek out the advice of my friends regarding Wells & Tigert (1971)
which brand to buy.
35. I spend a lot of time talking with my friends about Wells & Tigert (1971)
products and brands.

46
3. Everyone should take vitamins. Chan (1988) Health and safety
5. I often read books and articles on “health” matters. Chan (1988) consciousness
36. I am more health conscious than most of my friends
31. I frequently purchase “health food”/”natural food” Tam and Tai (1998)
11. I believe that a person’s most important asset is his/her
health. Tam and Tai (1998)
21. Alcoholic drink is undesirable for health.
8. Smoking is bad for health. Chong (1996)

Chong (1994)
Chong (1994)
23. I prefer to buy quality products even though they Kaur (1990) Quality minded
maybe high priced.
37. I generally try to buy products known for its quality. Chong (1994) Quality Minded
40. I do not mind to pay extra for quality.
41. You get what you pay for.

42. Knowing a salesperson in the store makes my shopping Chong (1996) Quality Minded
far more enjoyable.
9. I exercise regularly. Chan (1988) Healthy Lifestyle
16. I hardly ever get a headache.
13. I am careful about my diet
26. I do not smoke.
10. I worry a lot. Chan (1988) Stressful Lifestyle
32. My daily schedule is very hectic.
12. I catch a cold very often.
27. I hate to lose at anything.
17. Everything is changing too fast today.
24. I walk or jog for exercise. Chong (1994) Exerciser
33. I do other exercise besides walking/jogging.
18. I exercise to keep fit.
28. I enjoy outdoor activities. Chong (1994) Exerciser

Sampling Procedure and Data Collection Method: Convenience sampling was employed for the study. The
sample selected was confined to residents in urban areas of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Perak: Kuala Lumpur,
Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Ipoh and Taiping. Based on the assumption that the self-administered
questionnaire would require a certain level of maturity and understanding from the respondents, the age of 16 was
set as a reasonable cut-off point as was employed in the study by Chong (1996). Another condition was that they
should have used dietary supplements before. The survey was conducted over a 4-week period in February 2005.
400 copies of the twelve pages questionnaire were distributed to the targeted sample with the hope of obtaining at
least 250 copies. A total of 269 responses were received.

RESEARCH RESULTS

Characteristics of the Respondents: Of the total number of respondents, 247 respondents were found to be users
while 22 were non-users of dietary supplements. As the study attempts to study only users of dietary supplements,
the final data were analyzed using a sample size of 247 respondents. This sample comprised of 165 regular users
(66.8%) and 82 non-regular users (33.2%) of dietary supplements. Users of dietary supplements in this study were
identified through their response to the question: In the past one year, have you taken any dietary supplements
before for at least a week?

Table 3.1: Characteristics of the Respondents

47
Characteristics Freq. % Characteristics Freq. %
Gender Education Level
Male 102 41.3 Primary school 10 4.0
Female 145 58.7 SRP/PMR/LCE 18 7.3

Ethnic Group SPM/SPVM/MCE 64 25.9

Malay 98 39.7 STPM/HSC/A-Levels 27 10.9
Chinese 114 46.2 College Diploma 51 20.6
Indian 30 12.1 University Degree/Professional 77 31.2

Others 5 2.0 Occupation

Age Professional 26 10.5

Less than 20 12 4.9 Administrative/Managerial 30 12.1
20-29 44 17.8 Sales/Marketing 35 14.2
30-39 62 25.1 Supervisory 8 3.2
40-49 69 27.9 Teacher/Lecturer 32 13.0
50-59 39 15.8 Technical 18 7.3
60 and above 21 8.5 Own business 35 14.2

Marital Status Not working 36 14.6

Single 70 28.3 Others 27 10.9

Married without Children 27 10.9 Personal Income

Married with Children 144 58.3 No Income 38 15.4
Divorced/Widowed/Separated 6 2.4 Less than RM1,000 42 17.0

No of Children RM1,000-RM1,999 55 22.3

None 85 34.4 RM2,000-RM2,999 48 19.4
One 15 6.1 RM3,000-RM3,999 28 11.3
Two 48 19.4 RM4,000-RM4,999 21 8.5
Three 58 23.5 RM5,000 and above 15 6.1
Four & above 41 16.6

More than half or 58.7% of the respondents were females. In terms of ethnic group, 46.2% of the sample was
Chinese followed by 39.7% Malays, Indians 12.1% and others at 2.0%. In terms of age, majority of the respondent
population were middle aged (30-49 years), representing 53.0% of the sample.

More than half or 69.2% of the respondents were married. Out of that, 58.3% were with children, 10.9% were
without children while divorced/widowed/separated made up only 2.4%. In terms of number of children, 23.5% of
the respondents had three children, 19.4% had two children and 16.6% have four children and above. More then a
third or 37.2% of the sample had moderate level of education (SPM and below), 31.5% had Form Six/ Diploma
qualification while 31.2% had tertiary education.

As for occupation, the respondents came from various backgrounds. In terms of personal income, 58.7% of the
respondents earn less then RM3,000 per month, 19.8% earn RM3,000-RM4,999 and only 6.1% earns more than
RM5,000 and above. A large number of respondents (15.4%) indicated have no income at all because they are
students, housewives, retired or unemployed. As for the household income, it was removed from the analysis

48
because many respondents refused to provide information about their household income or provided inaccurate
information on their household income in the questionnaire.

Demographic Comparison- Regular and Non-Regular Users: To compare and distinguish the two groups along
their demographic characteristics, Chi-square analysis was employed to test the significance of demographic
differences between the two groups of users.

Some of the demographic categories were collapsed and reclassified for purpose of better analysis. For ethnic group,
“Indians” and “Others” were collapsed and classified as “Indian and others”. For the age, “50-59” and “60 and
above” were collapsed and reclassified as “50 and above”. For marital status, the “single” and
“divorced/widowed/separated” were combined into one category to be reclassified as “single” whereas “married
without children” and married with children” were reclassified as “married”. With regards to number of children, the
original 5 categories were reclassified into two categories with “1” and “2” children collapsed to form “1-2” and
anything above 2 classified as “3 and above”. In terms of education, the first three category of “primary school”,
“SRP/PMR/LCE” and “SPM/SPVM/MCE” was combined into one category called “Low education.
“STPM/HSC/A-Levels” and “college diploma” category combined to be called “medium education” and the rest for
“university degree/professional” classified as “High education.

Table 3.2: Demographic Comparison of Regular and Non-Regular Users

Characteristics Regular user Non regular user
% % X2 not significant,
Gender p =0.467
Male 70.6 29.4
Female 66.2 33.8
Race X2 not significant,
Malay 62.2 37.8 p =0.195
Chinese 73.7 26.3
Indian and others 65.7 34.3
Age X2 significant,
Less than 20 41.7 58.3 P =0.033
20-29 63.6 36.4
30-39 61.3 38.7
40-49 68.1 31.9
50 and above 83.1 16.9
Marital Status X2 significant,
Single 56.6 43.4 p =0.010
Married 73.1 26.9
No of Children X2 significant,
None 57.6 42.4 P =0.026
1 to 2 77.8 22.2
3 and above 70.7 29.3
Education X2 not significant,
Low 64.9 35.1 P =0.730
Middle 67.9 32.1
High 70.7 29.3
Occupation X2 not significant,
Professional 72.2 27.8 P =0.295
Administrative/Managerial 64.7 35.3
Sales/Marketing 72.2 28.0
Supervisory 50.0 50.0
Teacher/Lecturer 70.0 30.0

49
 Technical 67.0 33.0
Own business 76.7 23.3
Not working 79.0 21.0
Others 52.4 47.6
Personal Income X2 significant,
No Income 55.9 44.1 P =0.034
Less than RM1,000 67.7 32.3
RM1,000-RM1,999 65.4 34.6
RM2,000-RM2,999 86.2 13.8
RM3,000 and above 80.6 19.4

The personal income “RM4000-RM4999” and “RM5000 and above” was combined to be classified as RM4000 and
above. The summary of the chi-square test results is presented in Table 3.2.

It was found that there is no significant difference with regards to use of dietary supplements with regards to gender,
race, education and occupation. This is in contrast to some other studies, which show some association between
usage of dietary supplements with gender, race, education and occupation (Greger, 2001; Lyle, 1998). However, the
results show that there are indeed differences between the two groups of users with regards to some variables. It was
found that only age, marital status, number of children and personal income were found to be significant at p ≤0.05
between the regular and non-regular users of dietary supplements.

Older individuals tend to use dietary supplements more regularly compared to the younger individuals; a finding
also consistent with previous studies, which indicated higher usage of dietary supplements among the older
individuals (Subar and Block 1990; Lyle 1998). Moreover, those married with children seem to make up a higher
proportion of regular buyers of dietary supplements compared to the singles. Concern for the family’s health that has
prompted more regular usage of dietary supplements in the family could be one possible explanation for this. Those
who have higher income levels also seem to be more regular users of dietary supplements. This confirms the
findings of some previous studies (Kim et al., 2002; Ishihara 2001; Greger, 2001; Johnson et al., 2000; Kirk, 1999
and Lyle, 1998), which found that users of dietary supplement had higher income levels and social class.

Underlying Buying Behaviour Dimensions: Factor analysis was performed on the 42 AIO statements in order to
identify the underlying buying behavior dimensions and also to determine if the dimensions could be summarized
into smaller sets of factors. The initial principal components analysis model performed extracted 14 factors with
eigenvalues of 1 and above and a total variance explained of 63.0%. As one of the goals of factor analysis is to
represent relationship among sets of variables, the 14 factors initially extracted were too many to provide a good
analysis. Based on the criteria that the factors should represent about 50% of the total variance explained and that
the factor should have at least three significant factor loadings (Norusis, 1985; Hair et al., 1987), six factors were
derived. Only items with a factor loading of 0.35 and above in the rotated factor matrix were considered as
significant in interpreting the factors. The total variance of these six factors was 39.8%. The rotated factor matrix
showed that several items were loaded mainly on three factors. This indicates that while there are some activities
shared commonly across the psychographic dimension, there are also other activities not shared across the
psychographic dimension. The items reflecting each of the six factors together with the significant factor loadings
are presented in Table 3.3.

Factors I comprised of six items, Factor II comprised of five items and Factor III was comprised of seven items and
explained 14.5 %, 6.7 % and 5.5 % of the variance respectively. Factors IV, V and VI were comprised of three items
for each factor and explained 5.0, 4.2, and 3.9 % of the variance respectively.

Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to test for the internal consistency reliability of each of the dimension. The
alpha scores for each dimension are as shown in Table 3.4. The alpha score for all factors except Factor V and VI
were able to meet Nunnally’s (1978) guideline that modest reliability in the range of 0.50 to 0.60 will suffice for
exploratory research. However, these two factors were retained as a psychographic dimension in the end after taking
into consideration Guilford (1954) suggestion that an alpha value of 0.3 can be accepted as reliable.

50
 Table 3.3: Factor Analysis Results of AIO Statements
Statement I II III IV V VI
I exercise regularly. 0.768
I exercise to keep fit. 0.730
I do other exercises besides walking/ jogging. 0.695
I walk or jog for exercise. 0.694
I enjoy outdoor activities. 0.678 0.407
I am careful about my diet. 0.352
I do not mind to pay extra for quality. 0.761
I prefer to buy quality product even though they 0.755
maybe high priced,
I generally try to buy products known for its quality. 0.719
You get what you pay for. 0.521
Knowing a salesperson in the store makes my 0.420
shopping far more enjoyable.
I often read books and articles on “health” matters. 0.606
I usually read the words on the label of the dietary 0.549
supplements which I buy/take.
Everyone should take vitamins. 0.499
I believe that a person’s most important asset is 0.487
his/her health.
I am more health conscious than most of my friends. 0.486
I frequently purchase ‘health food’/ ‘natural food’. 0.455
I find myself checking the prices even for small 0.731
items.
I usually compare prices before buying. 0.669
I can save a lot of money by shopping around for 0.659
bargains.
When I see a new brand on the shelf, I often buy it 0.726
just to see what it is like.
I often try new brands before my friends and 0.641
neighbours do.
I will try samples of dietary supplements if given. 0.411
I usually watch the advertisement for sales. 0.733
My choice of brands for many products is influenced 0.683
by advertisement and commercials.
Alcoholic drink is undesirable for health. 0.453

Table 3.4: Psychographic Dimensions and Internal Consistency Reliable Coefficients

Factor Number of Items Alpha Score
Psychographic Dimension
I Exerciser 6 0.792
II Quality Minded 5 0.678
III Health & Safety Conscious 7 0.714
IV Price Conscious 3 0.622
V Brand Trier 3 0.482
VI Price/Safety Conscious 3 0.496

Based on the conceptual attributes of items loaded on each dimension, the six dimensions were labeled as shown in
Table 3.4. Factor I, labeled the “exerciser” reflects those who lead an active lifestyle and are also health conscious.
They tend to do more physical exercise as part of their healthy lifestyle. Factor II, the “quality minded” are those

51
who give priority to quality when purchasing and are willing to pay for using familiar quality branded products.
Factor III, labeled “health and safety conscious” are those who are very concerned with their health. As they are also
conscious about side effects of the product they buy, the salespeople who know their needs can influence them.
Factor IV, the “price consciousness” are those who considers the price factor when purchasing dietary supplement.
They are typically bargain shoppers who are always on a lookout of good package. Factor V, the “brand triers” are
those who are inclined to try new products. For this type of consumers, strong messages in advertisements can entice
them to try the product. Finally, Factor VI is the price and safety conscious type where they look at these two
factors in deciding their purchase.

Psychographic Comparison: The mean values of the two groups of users (regular and non-regular users) of dietary
supplement were compared along the six dimensions identified. A summary of the analysis is provided in Table 3.5.

Table 3.5: Psychographic Dimensions of Regular and Non-Regular Users

Dimension Regular User Non-Regular User Sig. **
Exerciser 12.57 6.96 0.271
Quality Minded 3.80 3.80 0.962
Health & Safety 3.76 3.74 0.557
Conscious
Price Conscious 3.27 3.52 0.022
Brand Trier 2.34 2.63 0.007
Price/Safety Conscious 3.25 3.41 0.159
* Higher scores represent greater level of agreement with the dimensions.
** Level of significance, using t-test.

The differences in group means were statistically significant at p≤0.05for two out of six psychographic attributes of
the dietary supplement users, viz., “price conscious” and the “brand trier”. This finding is consistent with those of
Miller (2003), which found these factors as important in the purchase of dietary supplement. No significance was
found between regular and non-regular users in terms of the health conscious, quality minded and health and safety
conscious dimensions.
Based on the group differences in mean values of the lifestyle attributes, a profile of the dietary supplement regular
user can be drawn. The psychographic profile of dietary supplement regular users as a group could be considered as
price conscious and are brand triers.

DISCUSSION

The present study attempted to profile the dietary supplement users in terms of their demographics and
psychographics. A review of previous studies on dietary supplements had shown that there are differences in
demographics between users and non-users of dietary supplements. It has also been noted that studies using AIO
statements to profile the psychographics of dietary supplements users were lacking in Malaysia.

The important finding of this study is that regular and non-regular users are different in their demographic and
psychographics characteristics. Significant differences between the two groups of users (regular and non-regular
users) were only noted in terms of age, marital status, number of children and personal income. Marketers can use
the results of this study to segment their market accordingly. For example, in order to target older individuals who
consider taking dietary supplements as “nutritional insurance”, marketers may look into providing more information
about the various dietary supplements available. This is because as they age, they will be more concerned about their
health and will take a proactive role to learn more about alternative medicine. Marketers can consider bundling
together various dietary supplements together in a “health package promotion” to deal with certain conditions of
aging such as for osteoporosis and heart problems. Such condition-specific marketing strategy may help to increase
product usage among elderly users when compared to marketing those products separately. Since many of them will
be retired, retailers can also consider offering loyalty programs such as senior citizen privileges to encourage greater
consumption of products. As for advertisers, advertising themes for products targeting older consumers can be
designed by taking into consideration their concern on health issues.

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For the married consumers with children, marketers can also employ the condition-specific marketing strategy or
some other strategies to reach them. As these group of consumers are likely to lead a hectic lifestyle dealing with
stress at work and at home, dietary supplements promoted to them should be identified and actively promoted using
various advertising medium. Increasing energy, improving well being and coping with stress are some of the aspects
that can be considered when designing an advertising campaign for these groups of consumers. For the high income
earners with more disposable income, marketing activities targeted at securing brand loyalty may be considered.
Marketers may consider working together with health clubs where high potential customers may be around or by
becoming sponsors of sports events to improve brand profile.

Besides demographics, knowledge of psychographics information is also valuable to dietary supplement marketers
when developing promotional strategies. Sales and special discounts would definitely appeal to the bargain
shoppers. The product’s value and the company’s reputation to provide quality dietary supplement can be
emphasized in advertising messages to appeal to these group of consumers. As for the brand triers, they would
welcome trial samples of new brand products. As brand triers may not be brand loyal, strategies should be made to
gain their loyalty after trying out samples. In this case, perhaps a special introductory price could be given to them
after finish trying the sample.

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