Consumer complaint behaviour in sport consumption: a theoretical model

In this study, traditional consumer complaint behaviours (CCBs) are re-examined in an experiential context; specifically, the consumption of live sport. It is proposed that these behaviours are not motivated by the “traditional” antecedents, and further, that they are not enacted with the purpose of reducing dissonance. Instead, it would appear that traditional CCBs, such as private responses, direct voicing and third party action take on a more functional role in the sport consumption experience. The possibility exists that for some spectators, these CCBs, which have been traditionally classified as negative, actually contribute to overall enjoyment of, and satisfaction with, a sport consumption experience. A review of literature in the area is presented, and a theoretical model of CCB in the experiential context is offered.

Consumer complaint behaviour in sport consumption

While consumer complaint behaviour, and specifically voicing, has been extensively investigated from the perspective of goods (see Volkov et al., 2003, for a review), there have been fewer studies investigating consumer voicing with regard to services (Andreasen, 1984, 1985; Singh, 1988, 1990; Zeithaml, Berry, & Parasuraman, 1996). Further, no research can be identified in the extant literature with respect to experiential consumer voicing. This research proposes an examination of voicing behaviour of consumers in an experiential consumption setting and uses sport consumption as the context. A review of literature in the area is presented and a proposal for experiential research is offered.

In experiential consumption settings, consumers are more likely to experience emotional reactions to, and be actively involved in, the experience than in traditional consumption episodes (Addis & Holbrook, 2001; Hoffman, Kumar, & Novak, 2003; Lofman, 1991). Further, experiential consumption episodes
involve greater emotional processing, more activity, more evaluation, but less overall cognitive processing than traditional episodes (Lofman, 1991), which in turn is likely to result in different consumer behaviour in these experiential settings.

Tn this study, traditional consumer complaint behaviours are re-examined in an experiential context; specifically, consumption of live sport. It is proposed that these behaviours are not motivated by the traditional antecedents of anger and involvement and, further, that they are not enacted with the purpose of
reducing dissonance. Instead, it would appear that traditional complaint behaviour concepts such as voicing, overt aggression, and assignment of blame take on a more functional role in the sport consumption experience. The possibility exists that for some spectators these complaining behaviours that have traditionally been cJassitIed as negative, actually contribute to overall enjoyment o( and satisfaction with, a sport consumption experience.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and stroke : meta-analysis of cohort studies

Background
Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables has been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of stroke in most epidemiological studies, although the extent of the association is uncertain. We quantitatively assessed the relation between fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of stroke in a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Methods
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and bibliographies of retrieved articles. Studies were included if they reported relative risks and corresponding 95% CIs of stroke with respect to frequency of fruit and vegetable intake.

Findings
Eight studies, consisting of nine independent cohorts, met the inclusion criteria. These groups included 257 551 individuals (4917 stroke events) with an average follow-up of 13 years. Compared with individuals who had less than three servings of fruit and vegetables per day, the pooled relative risk of stroke was 0·89 (95% CI 0·83–0·97) for those with three to five servings per day, and 0·74 (0·69–0·79) for those with more than five servings per day. Subgroup analyses showed that fruit and vegetables had a significant protective effect on both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.

Interpretation
Increased fruit and vegetable intake in the range commonly consumed is associated with a reduced risk of stroke. Our results provide strong support for the recommendations to consume more than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, which is likely to cause a major reduction in strokes.

Consumer construction of sport consumption experiences through role play : a literature review

Evidence exists in the literature that many traditional consumer behaviours have fundamentally different meanings when considered in an experiential context. This paper posits that voicing during the experiential consumption of sport may in fact be a factor of experiential consumption rather than an expression of dissatisfaction as in the traditional complaint behaviour model. This is significant in the interpretation of experiential sport consumption where vocalising appears to serve purposes other than complaining. This paper revises the traditional complaint behaviour literature for explanations about vocalising and then offers some alternate conceptual propositions using experiential consumption literature.

Compositional dynamics of a commercial wine fermentation using two-dimensional FTIR correlation analysis

We have demonstrated that compositional changes occurring during a commercial red wine fermentation can be effectively monitored using FTIR spectroscopy and modelled with the aid of two-dimensional correlation techniques. This study represents a novel application of two-dimensional spectroscopy and showed that the reaction rates for the conversion of fructose and glucose to alcohol were different, with the latter being more rapid. The use of a simple three-component model serves to aid interpretation of the data and the results obtained confirm the value of two-dimensional FTIR correlation spectroscopy as a chemometric tool which has considerable potential for process monitoring.

Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of cohort studies

Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables has been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in many epidemiological studies, however, the extent of the association is uncertain. We quantitatively assessed the relation between fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of CHD by carrying out a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Studies were included if they reported relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of CHD with respect to frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. Twelve studies, consisting of 13 independent cohorts, met the inclusion criteria. There were 278 459 individuals (9143 CHD events) with a median follow-up of 11 years. Compared with individuals who had less than 3 servings/day of fruit and vegetables, the pooled RR of CHD was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.86–1.00, P=0.06) for those with 3–5 servings/day and 0.83 (0.77–0.89, P<0.0001) for those with more than 5 servings/day. Subgroup analyses showed that both fruits and vegetables had a significant protective effect on CHD. Our meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies demonstrates that increased consumption of fruit and vegetables from less than 3 to more than 5 servings/day is related to a 17% reduction in CHD risk, whereas increased intake to 3–5 servings/day is associated with a smaller and borderline significant reduction in CHD risk. These results provide strong support for the recommendations to consume more than 5 servings/day of fruit and vegetables.

The influence of perceived body image, vanity and personal values on food consumption and related behaviour

Although food is a vital part of the chemical process of life, the manner in which people choose the foods that they eat is subject to a wide variety of external and internal influences. This study employed a sequential mixed method research design to investigate the influence of perceived body image, vanity and personal values on food purchasing behaviour among 18- to 30-year-old females. It was found that although personal values and orientation have a major influence on the food purchasing and consumption process, vanity, physical health and perceived body image were major factors of influence in the purchasing and consumption decision.

Fresh kids: the efficacy of a health promoting schools approach to increasing consumption of fruit and water in Australia

The Fresh Kids programme utilized the Health Promoting Schools (HPSs) framework to design a whole-of-school, multifaceted intervention targeting specific behaviours to promote healthy eating and reduce the risk factors associated with childhood obesity. The aim of the programme was to evaluate the effectiveness of the HPS framework to increase fruit and water consumption among primary school-aged children over a 2-year period. The study design was an interrupted time series. Four primary schools in the inner west of Melbourne, Australia, participated in the programme intervention. Baseline data were collected using a lunch box audit to assess the frequency of children with fresh fruit, water and sweet drinks, either brought from home or selected from canteen lunch orders. The lunch box audit was repeated periodically for up to 2 years following programme implementation to assess the sustainability of dietary changes. Across all participating schools, significant increases between 25 and 50% were observed in the proportion of children bringing fresh fruit. Similarly, all schools recorded increases between 15 and 60% in the proportion of students bringing filled water bottles to school and reductions between 8 and 38% in the proportion of children bringing sweet drinks. These significant changes in dietary patterns were sustained for up to 2 years following programme implementation. Targeting key nutrition behaviours and using the HPS framework is an effective and simple approach which could be readily implemented in similar childhood settings. Effective strategies include facilitating organizational change within the school; integrating curriculum activities; formalizing school policy and establishing project partnerships with local community nutrition and dietetic services.

Reduction of fuel consumption in an industrial glass melting furnace

Reduction of fuel consumption in glass melting furnaces can cut the cost of production, and tackle the global warming. This paper presents three independent solutions to reduce the fuel consumption in industrial glass melting furnaces. The solutions include air preheating, raw material preheating, and improving the insulation of combustion space refractory. Energy balance equations are derived and used to identify the effects of each solution. The results indicate that the three solutions reduce the fuel consumption by 9.5%, 17%, and 34%, respectively.

'Social drivers' as predictors of yoghurt consumption in China

A survey of yoghurt consumption by female consumers in Beijing showed 42% consuming often, 26% occasionally and 32% never. Consumers were generally younger and more driven by materialistic values than non-consumers. "Social drivers" are presented as a 1001 for marketers to predict the use of consumer
products.

Hierarchical relationship between values, lifestyles, possessions and food consumption among Beijing adult population

A representative sample (N=801) of the Beijing adult population was used to empirically test and validate a proposed hierarchical model of relationships between values, lifestyles, possessions and food consumption. The theoretical contribution of the present study is the development and an empirically supported paradigm, which explains consumers' consumption behaviour. A further outcome is the substantiation of a pathway model involving hierarchical relationship between values, lifestyle, and demographic variables on material possessions and food consumption.

Evaluation of brief dietary questions to estimate vegetable and fruit consumption - using serum carotenoids and red-cell folate

Objective To evaluate responses to self-administered brief questions regarding consumption of vegetables and fruit by comparison with blood levels of serum carotenoids and red-cell folate.

Design A cross-sectional study in which participants reported their usual intake of fruit and vegetables in servings per day, and serum levels of five carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin and lycopene) and red-cell folate were measured. Serum carotenoid levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and red-cell folate by an automated immunoassay system.

Settings and subjects Between October and December 2000, a sample of 1598 adults aged 25 years and over, from six randomly selected urban centres in Queensland, Australia, were examined as part of a national study conducted to determine the prevalence of diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors.

Results Statistically significant (P<0.01) associations with vegetable and fruit intake (categorised into groups: ≤1 serving, 2–3 servings and ≥4 servings per day) were observed for α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin and red-cell folate. The mean level of these carotenoids and of red-cell folate increased with increasing frequency of reported servings of vegetables and fruit, both before and after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A significant association with lycopene was observed only for vegetable intake before adjusting for confounders.

Conclusions These data indicate that brief questions may be a simple and valuable tool for monitoring vegetable and fruit intake in this population.

Meat consumption among 18-month-old children participating in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study

Objective: To document meat consumption among 18-month-old children, for use in refining population dietary assessment methods and dietary guidance for young children.

Design: A secondary analysis of data collected in 1998-2000 from the 18 months follow up of the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study: an intervention trial of omega-3 oil supplementation and house-dust mite reduction, from birth to five years.

Subjects and setting: Pregnant women whose unborn children had an atopic family history were recruited from antenatal clinics of six hospitals in western Sydney. Carers of 429 18-month-old children (80% response) satisfactorily completed three-day weighed food records.

Main outcome measures: Mean and median intakes per day and portion sizes of various meats and meat products.

Statistical analyses: T-tests for comparing gender differences; Pearson correlation and one-way analysis of variance for relationships between meat and nutrient intake.

Results: During the recording period 94% of the children ate meat. McDonald's Chicken McNuggets^TM, beef mince, and beef sausages were the most frequently consumed meats. Median portion sizes ranged from 20-50 g, and were considerably smaller than 'usual' portions specified on food frequency questionnaires in common use. Higher meat diets in this age group were not associated with higher intakes of iron or zinc per MJ.

Conclusion: The marginally low intakes of iron and zinc in this age group could be improved by greater use of cuts of red meat appropriately prepared for toddlers.

Consumption of 'extra' foods (energy-dense, nutrient poor) among children aged 16-24 months from western Sydney, Australia

Objective: This study evaluates the contribution of energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra’ foods to the diets of 16–24-month-old children from western Sydney, Australia.

Design:   An analysis of cross-sectional data collected on participants in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS), a randomised trial investigating the primary prevention of asthma from birth to 5 years. We collected 3-day weighed food records, calculated nutrient intakes, classified recorded foods into major food groups, and further classified foods as either ‘core’ or ‘extras’ according to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Setting:  Pregnant women, whose unborn child was at risk of developing asthma because of a family history, were recruited from all six hospitals in western Sydney, Australia. Data for this study were collected in clinic visits and at participants’ homes at the 18-month assessment.

Participants: Four hundred and twenty-nine children participating in the CAPS study; 80% of the total cohort.

Results:  The mean consumption of ‘extra’ foods was xs223C150 g day− 1 and contributed 25–30% of the total energy, fat, carbohydrate and sodium to the diets of the study children. ‘Extra’ foods also contributed around 20% of fibre, 10% of protein and zinc, and about 5% of calcium. Children in the highest quintile of ‘extra’ foods intake had a slightly higher but not significantly different intake of energy from those in the lowest quintile. However, significant differences were evident for the percentage of energy provided by carbohydrate and sugars (higher) and protein and saturated fat (lower). The intake of most micronutrients was also significantly lower among children in the highest quintile of consumption. The intake of ‘extra’ foods was inversely associated with the intake of core foods.

Conclusions:  The high percentage of energy contributed by ‘extra’ foods and their negative association with nutrient density emphasise the need for dietary guidance for parents of children aged 1–2 years. These preliminary data on commonly consumed ‘extra’ foods and portion sizes may inform age-specific dietary assessment methods.