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An Empirical Study of Consumers Purchase Intention Toward

Dietary Supplements.

Dr.sabina Rachel Harold

, Dr.V.Anuradha

Associate Professor Dept. Business Management UCCBM Mahatma Gandhi University Nalgonda.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2026.15020000095

Received: 25 February 2026; Accepted: 02 March 2026; Published: 19 March 2026

ABSTRACT

The food supplements industry, as well as, the wellness trend is undergoing a tremendous growth. In case you are

seeking to sell in such space or make policy likewise direction, it is relevant to possess a feel of what actually

sparks the buys. In practice, it is crucial. We were not keen on being confined to such general beliefs and ways

that we could have known what is a major role, the demographic factors like age and gender, the facility of the

real purchase of the product and effect of the own state of health. A survey that was well structured gathered

information on 143 individuals and the information was analyzed using SPSS. The analytical methods were

ANOVA, reliability test, descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests and multivariate regression analysis.

This is more or less the complete tract of such buying behavior study of analysis. A single dominant pattern

emerged which was that the first age was not a simple variable, but the most predictive of whether an individual

would intend to buy supplements. The gender was also originating to be important and this confirms that

marketing is not about a one size fits all strategy. This is a fine point but pre-existing medical conditions had it

that the former would be more reliant on the advice of a doctor in making the purchase as expected. Notably, they

did not demonstrate a greater purchase intention much higher than no conditions. This means that the presence of

a condition renders the buying process to be more cautious and advice based process as opposed to being an

eagerness based process. The majority of the cases depended on the fact that a single largest predictor was

accessibility. Non price, but just first, non-brand. How convenient will it be to me to find and get this product?

This fact leads to logistics and distribution.

Keywords: Dietary supplements, Purchase intention, Consumer behavior, Health awareness, availability.

INTRODUCTION

The world has observed the growth in the rate of in rise in dietary supplements business because of the changing

trend in health sensitivity, lifestyle and also the increasing emphasis on preventative healthcare. People use dietary

supplements to increase the standard of their lives to optimize the functioning of their immune system and remedy

the lack of vitamins/minerals (Bellows et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2020). The dietary supplements market in the

whole world is expanding at a high rate attributable to multiple factors that include urbanization, the increase of

sedentary ways of living around the globe, and the prevalence of individuals with various forms of lifestyle

diseases (Report Linker, n.d.; MarketsandMarkets, 2024). The emergent India economy has seen an upsurge in

dietary supplement intake of supposedly due to the disposable income, awareness to health and an increased

variety of channel through online and off-line selling hubs (Euro monitor International, 2023).

Expanding food supplements have been found to be inflexible competitors on a continuum, in the light of the

different levels of needs of the consumers. The buyer behavior is not something that is simply associated with a

consumer, such as it provides general information, on how the consumers view the health benefits of the

supplements, how it applies to their age and their personal need. On the same note, the education level, the income

level, and the real health status, among others, have an enormous influence on the purchasing behavior (Murphy

et al., 2007; Malik and Tendon, 2024). Other than these demographics and personal factors, other aspects are

taken into account by the consumers. The perceived safety determines the eventual decision made by the customer

based on the faith of the customer towards a company and comparison with other companies. A more accurate

insight into the cause of consumer behavior can enable marketers or health policy makers to develop a more

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rational product and regulatory policies that is more appropriate to the needs of the population (Gupta and Singh,

2021; Zoupos and Spais, 2022).

The decision to consume dietary supplements may be explained also with the help of the Theory of Planned

Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). The ease with which a person consumes the supplements is a significant aspect that

would determine the intention to buy supplements. Three components that are inter-related affect this intention

to purchase supplements or behaviour. These three aspects are his own feelings concerning the use of

supplements, perceived social pressure. Lastly, the third component is the self-efficacy of a single person or his

capability to manage the purchase behaviour of himself. Integrations of psychological drivers will indicate or

influence the adopting behaviour and consumption of health related products. The risk-benefit evaluation of a

person in terms of purchasing supplements is also alternative aspect that shapes the attitude towards the

supplement (Rana and Paul, 2020), and beliefs about the advantage of preventive health practices. The same

thought processes relate to facets of the Health Belief Model, in particular the amount to which a individual trusts

that they are likely to experience health problems and the degree to which they believe that it is vital to reduce

their exposure.

The purchase intention of dietary supplements may be regarded as outcome or correlated outcome of different

influences and features that may be viewed as intertwined. The effect of population attributes determines degree

of awareness towards and purchase of dietary supplements, as well, the characteristics of a dietary supplement

(i.e., the price, the presence of any regulatory approval, availability) can also influence the perceived value and

trustworthiness of the consumer (Bellows et al., 2013; Zoupos & Spais, 2022). Health awareness and health

conditions also determine the effect of dietary supplements consumption on a particular person. It creates a

detachment between prevention and treatment users who take supplements (Zhang et al., 2020). The above

discussed correlations of the above mentioned groups imply that an integrated empirical investigation should be

conducted to establish the demographic, economic as well as the health associated variables that are responsible

of influencing intake of dietary supplements.

The dietary supplements represent a study that has increased in percentages, not only in the literature, but also,

regarding the amount of surveys conducted on the topic. Nonetheless, the huge amount of studies examines a

single factor that predisposes a group of individuals to the purchasing decision of dietary supplements (e.g., the

increased awareness of dietary supplements, health worth, marketing ethics). In addition, no empirical survey is

conducted the area, captivating into reason the effects of different demographic factors (e.g., age, gender,

education level), price sensitivity, perceived health safety of dietary supplements, Access to health care and

medical conditions on the intentions of consumers to buy dietary supplements in the prism of management

(business) and the consumer behavior (Malik and Tandon, 2024). As a way of filling this knowledge gap, the

proposed research undertaking will be shown to help analyze the many influences that inform an urge of

consuming dietary supplements based on quantitative research design. The demographic study of the variables

constituting the main dimensions of making purchases and health status should enable marketers and industry

participants and policymakers to have the awareness about their customers. It is probable that our survey will be

published and become a part to add to the study on the topic of dietary supplement usage and evidencebased

managerial decision-making within the health and wellness markets that have grown at an unbelievable pace.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Dietary supplements have increasingly received a lot of scrutinizing interest due to their association with

consumer Behaviours and Health Management, Marketing and other pertinent fields of Research. Previous

research indicates that an ever-growing group of Consumers perceive the Dietary Supplements as Medical

(Nutritional) product with the added benefit of a Lifestyle/Wellness product based on the Personal Preference,

Socio-Demographics and marketing of the Consumers (Bellows et al., 2013; Zoupos & Spais 20202).

Demographics and intent to purchase

The demographic variables will be expressed in footings of numbers which describe the things of dietary

supplements on the purchase intentions of the individuals. These issues are age, sex, level of education, marital

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status, and income just to mention a few. It has been observed that dietary supplements are more frequently taken

by older people as related to the young ones. This will be more practised by individuals who are more health-

conscious and want a healthy life. The proportion of women who consume dietary supplements is lower than that

of men perhaps due to their health conscious nature. The education level also contributes to the increase of people

which use these supplements as individuals know well what they need in positions of nutrient levels and are more

expected to trust the information that is presented on the product. The sum that individuals earn is also varied.

The Malik and Tandon (2024) hold that the highly-income earners will be given a choice to purchase dietary

supplements just because they have the money. They also have more facts on the health threat they are showing

to hence make better shopping results. The outcomes reveal that demographical issues are good predictors of diet

supplement buying behavior. Hence, a research study, which would understand or replicate the usage of dietary

supplements, is necessary.

Price Sensitivity and the Decision-making among the Consumers

The population of the developing countries would be more price-sensitive, so it is the crucial aspect in their

buying choices. In reference to dietary supplements, it implies that the relationships between price and the worth

consumers trust they are getting in their money are negative. This is more so in case of individuals with lower

disposable incomes since they have to govern whether apparent health aids of regular use are worth the cost.

Competitively priced supplements will also be preferred by such consumers. Price sensitivity influences the initial

purchase as well as the long time purchase and consumption of dietary supplements.

Perceived Safety, Quality and Certification

Consumer trust and purchase intention is a major driver of consumer behavior; therefore, perceived safety and

quality of products can be viewed as primary remarkable conditions that make people trust a brand of diet

supplement and buy it. The authors of the article Impact of Ingredients Composition, Accuracy in the dosage and

side effects on consumer’s acceptance to use dietary supplements (Bellows et al, 2013: 122-148). The study by

Zhang et al., 2020, indicates that the credibility of the consumers with the regulatory authorities will contribute

to the acceptance of the Vitamin and Mineral Supplements by consumer; therefore, the degree of knowledge that

the consumer has regarding the certification and approval of the regulatory authority will be significant predictors

in consumer of the dietary supplements.

Accessibility

Derived from access controllability and access barriers. Strong forces that influence consumer intake of dietary

supplements are ease of use and availability to the consumer. With pharmacies, supermarkets, and

ecremercook.com/Commerce/e-Store) shopper being developed, the dietary supplements have never been more

accessible and, therefore, the the general population can now afford to take his or her supplements on a regular

basis. According to Zoupos and Spais (2022), the distribution points of the product were easily accessible via an

electronic retail channel and provided the user with information about the product, which contributes to a high

probability of consumers being comfortable with purchasing dietary supplements. The convenience of locating a

nutrition product on the internet is among the influential factors because of the convenience of the shopping

process, the product choice, and the price. implications of these findings is a factors pointing to the significance

of accessibility in the choice that a consumer makes when buying dietary supplements.

Health awareness and Medical conditions

Health literacy and health condition on the overall can effect dietary supplements consumption among the

individuals. To represent, people who have a disease caused by a nutritional deficit, or possess long term diseases

are more likely to resort to dietary supplements as a cure to the diseases or in prevention (Zhang et al., 2020).

There is a high demand of dietary supplements among many people to cover any existing gaps in their daily food

intake in the body as prescribed by the World Health Organization (2022) due to their high nutrient requirements.

individuals lacking preexisting conditions will most likely consume dietary supplements in their bid to boost their

health at large, high concentration of immunity and great bodily health. It is due to this distinction, the reason

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behind the consumption of dietary supplements is sufficient to set a comparison between two categories of

consumers.

Research Gap

In contrast to the previous researches, which have offered practical details on using dietary supplements, previous

researches have focused on particular issues or areas of interest, such as, benefits of consuming dietary

supplements on one hand or the moral obligation of companies that sell dietary supplements however hand. Very

few studies examined the overall influence of these variables (e.g., age, income, worries regarding safety of

products, product availability, etc.) on intention to purchase dietary supplements immediately among consumers

in India. Further, we cannot find much empirical evidence existing in the current study to prove the distinction

between dietary supplements consumption between consumers with existing medical conditions and those

without.

In the present research, we intend to address these literature gaps by means of the way of integration of two sets

of demographics variables i.e. core purchasing dimensions and health - related variables to examine the overall

effect of for each variable on the intention of the consumer to purchase dietary supplements in a quantitative

analytic research. Combined, such approach enables good managerial decisions regarding the dietary supplement

market.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

In this study, we decided to use the quantitative descriptive approach. This design assisted us to consider the

association between variables and the features of the population which influence purchase behavior. It was

likewise able to tell us the features that are of paramount importance in the decision to purchase and the usages

pattern in relation to dietary supplements. It was appropriate to adopt a quantitative approach owing to the

following reasons. Our survey technique was created on a survey, and the data were obtained with the help of a

questionnaire.

Sample and Data Gathering

Data gathered for the study were filled through use of online form created and sent using the Google Forms

application using a sample of 143 respondents. This particular method used in sampling was convenience

sampling. The process has examined accessibility of pool of prospective respondents who can be integrated in

our study and their inclination to it is the part of it. This sample contains multiple age brackets of people with

different backgrounds of males, female health issues to deliver a vision into the view of diverse opinions on the

consumer side. The participation in the study was complete voluntary and the goal of the ongoing scholarly work

was explicitly stated.

Instrument Design

A questionnaire was created on the grounds of the in-depth analysis of the existing literature. It contained three

sections:

Section A - Data regarding the population features of the individual, they include age, marital status, level of

education, gender, earning status and the presence of any health condition.

Section B - Health awareness and supplement use behavior, which involves health checkup awareness and

deficiency awareness and the kind of dietary supplements people use.

Section C: Factors affecting purchase intention, such as sensitivity to price, safety issues, accessibility, and

certification were all on an ordinal scale.

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Items were largely predicated on responses were measured on a Likert measure, where complex cuts reflected

stronger influence.

Variables of Survey

1. Dependent Variable: The intention to buy dietary supplements.

2. Independent Variables: Price sensitive, Perceived safety, Accessibility and availability, Certification

awareness.

3. Demographic Variables: Education, Age, Gender, Earning status.

4. Grouping Variable: yes/no: Have medical condition.

Dependability and Rationality

The level of the scale consistency of the scale items that measure the various facets of the purchase process was

examined using the Cronbach Alpha method of analyzing the scale items.

The outcome of the research was considered acceptably on the determination of the estimation of 0.60+. Relied

on the adaptation of research questions/questionnaire, this is because of the previous research studies and its

content validity has already proved to be appropriate to this research.

Data Examination Methods

This was reflected in the data analysis through coding data by its characteristics and SPSS. The statistical

instruments that were embraced served the drive that they were intended to serve.

1. Descriptive Statistics: To describe participant demographics and other information.

2. Reliability Analysis: To test item internal consistency.

3. One-way ANOVA: To identify the difference founded on the use of supplements with regard to the age and.

4. Independent Samples t-test: to examine the difference in dietary supplements take between the participants

with and with the history of the former medical conditions.

5. Regression Analysis: This will entail establishing the degree to which the factors influence dietary

supplement consumption.

These methods of statistics assisted in the complete examination of the data according to the objectives and

purpose of our research.

Ethical Compliance

While conducting the research, ethical issues are put into consideration. Anonymity and confidentiality were

ensured very participants. Information acquired was used exhaustively in the situation of study and various other

reasons that involved knowledge. personal information was requested, and participation was entirely voluntary

of withdrawing throughout the research.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The section provides the empirical results, the outcome of our work, and dwells upon the findings on the highlight

of the research questions and objectives.

The findings of the analysis have stood on the information received about the 143 respondents and observed by

using SPSS.

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The Demographic Features of the Interviewees

In this section, the demographic profile of the survey respondents is described. Table 4.1 presents the people of

the participants based on their age, gender, medical conditions and purchase conduct in the future.

The age classification shows that the largest people of the example was Age Group 1 with the people of 53.1

percent of the sample. This classification was followed by Age Group 3 which made 26.6 and then Age Group 2

which made 18.9. The non-respondents who were below the Age Group 4 were then narrowed down to 1.4%.

According to Table 3, most of the respondents belong to young and middle-aged age categories and hence age

groups vary and indulge in the consumption of dietary supplements and purchasing behaviour as a whole that the

sample is representative. The defendants were evenly distributed in footings of gender whereby, 53.1 % of the

defendants were under Gender Category 2, and 46.9% of the defendants are under Gender Category 1. This close

representation enables a study of the two groups by means of the comparison.

Five out of five respondents answered with a medical condition that he/she had pertaining to health status and the

popular of the defendants answered that he/she has no health related issues Conferring to a trend, a popular of the

defendants consume dietary supplements more for maintenance of health than for treatment of a disease. A lot of

people want to buy these products in the future, even if it does not have the opinion of the doctor. Of the

respondents (56), over 56.6% said they consume dietary supplements without consulting a doctor and 43.4% said

that they would refer the doctor before consuming them. This variation is clarified by the fact that the difference

in the health-related knowledge, the perceived risk, and self-medication confidence among the consumers.In

general, the investigations of how individual factors influence dietary supplement use/ purchase intention in the

other sections of the paper are appropriate background since the sample is demographical.

Table 4.1 Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents (N = 143)

Variable

Category

Count

Percentage (%)

Age Group

53.1

18.9

26.6

1.4

Gender

46.9

53.1

Medical Condition

Yes (1)

20.3

No (2)

114

79.7

Future Purchase

Yes (1)

56.6

No (2)

43.4

Reliability Analysis

This was conducted to control the consistency measuring scale: internal consistency of the measuring scale was

tested to regulate the dependability of instrument before subsequent statistical analysis could be done. The

reliability of the items was tested by Cronbachs Alpha coefficient using the measurement of the key factors

influencing the purchase intention which included the perceived safety, perceived effectiveness, pricing and

availability.

The analysis gave the Cronbachs Alpha of 0.688 reported in Table 4.2 and the results imply that acceptable level

of internal consistency of an exploratory study with respect to social science research. These results demonstrate

that the scale items were sufficiently consistent and sufficiently good in gauging the perceptions of the

respondents with reference to purchasing behavior on dietary supplement.

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The instrument was found to be good enough to proceed with additional statistical analysis, ANOVA, t-tests, and

regression. The reliability coefficient was high, and its value exceeded 0.60, which is the minimum acceptable

value.

Table 4.2. Reliability Analysis of Purchase Intention Factors

Measurement Scale

Number of Items

Cronbach’s Alpha

Purchase Intention Factors (Safety,

Effectiveness, Pricing, Availability)

0.688

Effect of Age and Gender on the intake of dietary supplements

To achieve the realization on whether the difference in dietary supplements consumption exists among the

demographic assemblies, numerical tests were directed based on the age and gender. As depicted in Table 4.3, the

ANOVA, suitable statistical approaches were practical in comparing age groups and independent samples t-test

was used to liken difference in consumption level between males and females.

We also sought the contribution of the age factor in dietary supplements consumption and undertook ANOVA.

The results revealed quite a clear difference in age (F = 8.436, p < 0.05). The more aged respondents had higher

chances of utilizing supplements linked to the younger respondents. Reasonable, when you reason about it,

because the older individuals are more health aware, more concerned about being ahead of potential challenges

and to be quite honest when you are older and when you are past a certain age you start to have health problems.

The t-test test however revealed that gender is not significantly different, in respect of supplement consumption

(p > 0.05). Both the male and the female respondents were equally using the supplements, which means that none

of the factors of the gender significantly influence how the respondents consume them in this sample.

All these results propose that age is a considerable predictor of the consumption of dietary supplements, but, on

the other hand, gender is a contributory factor to the intake habit to a lesser extent. This leads to relevance of age

variation in the framework of consumption trend of dietary supplements market.

Table 4.3 One-Way ANOVA Results of age and Dietary Supplement Consumption.

Source of Variation

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F-value

Sig. (p)

Between Groups

6.842

2.281

8.436

0.00

Within Groups

37.621

139

0.271

—

Total

44.463

142

—

According to the results of Figure 4.1, consumption of dietary supplements varies among the various age groups

whereby as the age group increases, consumption of the dietary supplement also increases.

Figure 4.1. The age variation in dietary supplements.

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Result of Demographic Issues on Purchase Intention.

The section will be on the result of the demographic factors particularly age and gender on the future intention to

purchase dietary supplements by the respondents. The differences in intention to purchase were also assessed

using the independent samples t-test, where the changes in the gender based differences were evaluated, and the

variances in the age were also assessed.

Independent samples t-tests were done in gender and age in case of purchase intention. The difference in gender

was observed to be statistically significant (t = 2.068, p < 0.05), i.e., men and women do not treat the purchase of

future supplement in a similar manner. This will probably culminate in perceptions of the two collections near

health in overall, the method of risk they feel is the most interesting to them and their overall shopping behaviour

in general.

On the contrary, the age was statistically not relevant in regard to its impact on future purchase intention (p >

0.05). It also fails to heavily use age as an indicator to predetermine intention of respondents to purchase the

supplement again despite the previous finding that age does influence the equal of supplement consumption. This

earnings that, consumption behavior and purchase intention are also dependent on the different demographic

factors.

On the whole, the results indicate that gender is more dominant in shaping the future purchasing decisions, and

age is the leading factor in determining the consumption patterns. This difference demonstrates that that the

behavioral usage and the purchase intention are analyzed separately when the consumer behavior study in the

dietary supplements market.

Table 4.4. Independent Samples t-Test Comparing Gender and Purchase Intention

Variable

Gender

Mean

Std. Deviation

t-value

Sig. (p)

Purchase

1.47

0.51

2.068

141

0.04

Intention

1.61

0.49

—

Effect of Medical Condition on Use of Supplements and Purchase Intention.

The provided part examines the hypothesis on whether the presence of an existing medical condition influences

the consumption of dietary supplements by the respondents and their eventual purchase of such products. The t-

tests were conducted as independent samples that were to put the respondents with and without the medical

condition into comparison.

The findings in Table 4.5 indicate that the correlation between the overall purchase intention and the health

conditions (with or without medical conditions) was not originate to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). This

infers that health state is not always a factor that predisposes a person to purchase dietary supplements in the

future.

Nevertheless, the change in the use of dietary supplements was considerable when basing on the recommendations

of a physician (t = -2.479, p < 0.05). Medical advice was a important predictor of use of supplements in the

defendants who took them as likened to those who did not seek medical advice. This infers that individuals with

health problems should have a more medical-sound and sensible approach.

The findings reported that the state of a medical condition is relevant to the usage of dietary supplements, as

opposed to the intention to buy in general. Already sick patients find it cooler to comply with professional

recommendations and healthy people are more prone to self-prescription. Overall, the results suggest that the

distinction across the two categories of consumption behavior therapeutic and preventive is of utmost importance

in researching consumer reactions in the market of dietary supplements.

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Table 4.5. Results Independent Samples t-test of Medical Condition and Use of Supplements.

Variable

Medical

Condition

Mean

Std. Deviation

t-value

Sig. (p)

Purchase Intention

Yes

1.483

0.509

−0.998

42.48

0.324

114

1.588

0.492

Doctor-Prescribed

Supplement Usage

Yes

1.138

0.351

−2.479

56.91

0.016

114

1.333

0.474

CONCLUSION AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS.

Conclusion

This paper investigates the issues touching the decision to purchase and intake dietary supplement on the base of

the 143 respondent’s data. To acquire balanced perspective of consumer behaviour in the dietary supplement

market, the element of the purchasing MALAYS and health-related dimensions of the analysis has been taken.

Another factor that also makes significant contributions to the level of dietary supplement consumption based on

the results is the age of the person.

The respondents who consumed all the functional foods in large quantities were the aged who can be more health

conscious and preventive health oriented. Age is not a factor that determines the buying intent. This shows that

other types of elements other than age influence the use behaviour and choice of buying. Gender is another

predictor that was triggered because it is discriminating male and female clients. They are not plotting to purchase

dietary supplements the same way in the near future. The concept of gender was a non-material one that does not

provide any of the values, but merely influences the real consumption. The use preference spending on purchase

or consumption is one of the more valid arguments in business. Moreover, the seriousness of the health condition

complicated and severely influenced total purchasing-intention.

As the issue gets more complicated, the pre-existing medical complication of the defendants would be more prone

to link with supplements prescribed by the physician, so, more responsible and knowledgeable ingestion would

be expected. The multiple regression model shows that the availability and accessibility of the multiple regression

exert a significant impact on purchase intention. It is established from literature consumer behavior in dietary

supplement market is multidimensional allowing generalization of these findings.

Managerial Implications

The findings of our research have a number of practical implications to the managers, marketers and policymakers

working in the dietary supplements industry.

First of all, availability has high influence on purchase intention which demonstrates that the companies need to

be focused on the effective channels of distribution and to ensure that the products available within the market

are representative on both offline and online markets. Having more access to customers would significantly

enhance the way consumers are engaged and sales performance.

Second, the age factor has a dimensional impact on consumption behavior, and the marketing policy of targeting

the old consumer should be based on the prevention of health, quality assurance, and long-term health advantages.

The promotion can be pegged on compatibility with lifestyles, convenience and product variety in the case of

younger consumers.

Third, gender is a significant factor in the purchase intention, i.e. marketing communication should be specific

and it should address gender preferences and concerns. Customized messages will strengthen brand association

and brand trust.

Fourth, the accentuated dependence on the medical recommendations of the consumers with the health conditions

further stresses on the importance of the collaboration with the medical workers. In order to create a higher level

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of  credibility  among  medically  conscious  consumers,  companies  must  ensure  that  they  perform  transparent 
labeling, regulatory compliance and adequacy of health information.  
Finally,  although  price  and  perceived  safety  were  not  mentioned  as  the  main  predictors  in  this  study,  even 
affordable cost and quality standards are critical regarding consumer loyalty and brand image over a time.  
Limitations and Future directions.  
Our  research  has  a  restricted  contribution  and  the  study  has  certain  limitations.  This  could  affect  the 
generalizability of the results due to convenience sampling and a very small sample. Another weakness may also 
be the bias in the responses because of the self-reported data.  
Research can be conducted in future  by taking into account the use of bigger  and  more varied samples. The 
longitudinal investigation design would also work to observe the changes in consumer behavior as time goes by. 
Other variables that can be additional to the subsequent work are psychological variables, e.g., health motivation, 
risk perception, personal beliefs. This would assist us to obtain more information on the intake of the dietary 
supplements and the purchasing pattern.  
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