Willingness of Iranian young adults to eat organic foods: Application of the Health Belief Model

• We use Health Belief Model as a framework for measuring consumer’s intention.
• We use Structural equation modeling for analyzing the data.
• Women have more intention than men toward using organic food.
• Explained variance was essentially due to the behavioral evaluation variables rather than the threat perception variables.
• Perceived benefits were the most important variable.

This study investigates the determinants of organic foods consumer behavior in Iran. This will further understanding of consumer decision-making regarding organically produced foods and help identify strategies for promoting their consumption. The focus of the study was to explore the influence of constructs of the Health Beliefs Model on willingness to use organic foods using a multistage, stratified random sample of young adults (n = 389) in a survey conducted in Iran. Structural equation modeling showed that perceived benefits, general health orientation regarding pesticides and organic foods, self-efficacy and perceived barriers are significant predictors of willingness regarding the use of organic foods. These variables can predict nearly 42% variance of young adults’ willingness to use organic food. The findings yield public policy and marketing recommendations for stimulating organic food consumption among young adults.