A dataset of food choice motives among adults consumers in Brazil: The use of Food Choice Questionnaire.

The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was applied to assess the motivations for daily food choices and associated factors in a Brazilian sample. Data were collected from January to July 2019 from 525 individuals over 18 years old recruited face-to-face in different places (e.g., university, public squares, health posts), using a convenient, intentional, and reasoned sampling. In addition to the FCQ, socioeconomic data were collected from printed questionnaires. Answers were given using a seven-point scale, ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree. After Confirmatory factor analysis led to the rejection of the original FCQ structure, exploratory factor analysis was performed. Eight factors were extracted and named: nutritional composition, mood, health, sensory appeal, price, preparation convenience, familiarity, and purchase convenience. Other analyses were performed and led to a previously published discussion about food choice criteria hierarchy and associated factors. Researchers and practitioners can further use data from this survey in science and practice. These data can be useful for product development, nutritional counseling, and public health policies development. Furthermore, the FCQ is a widely used instrument, and comparisons between results obtained in different samples can bring meaningful contributions to the study of consumer behavior.

Perceptions of risk and benefit of different foods consumed in Brazil and the optimism about chronic diseases.

This study aimed to assess consumers' perceptions about the impact of consumption of different foods on health and body weight, as well as to identify risk perceptions about food-related chronic diseases. Face-to-face questionnaires were conducted with 525 Brazilians. Individuals were asked about their perception of risks associated with the consumption of 50 food items on health and bodyweight. The unrealistic optimism was measured by asking participants about their risk and the risk of another person with similar body and health conditions of developing diabetes mellitus (DM), systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), and gaining 3 to 10 kg in the next 12 months. According to the principal component analysis, biased perception of food healthiness and weight gain was observed. Some UPF were perceived as healthy (e.g., gelatin, cereal bars, cream cracker), indicating a false healthy stereotype. Regarding the bodyweight effect, some typical Brazilian staple foods, such as rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes, were considered fattening foods. Optimistic bias was found for DM, SAH, and weight gain, and perceived control over health correlated negatively to risk perception of all hazards. Some motives for food choice and perceptions about foods affected the risk perception about chronic disease. Consumers with higher income, highly educated, and without children perceive higher health benefits in food than risks. These results indicate that health campaigns must be unbiased, clarifying the level of food processing and health effects, especially for the food stereotyped as healthy and fattening.

Factors Underlying Food Choice Motives in a Brazilian Sample: The Association with Socioeconomic Factors and Risk Perceptions about Chronic Diseases.

This study aimed to evaluate the food choice motives in a sample in Brazil and to identify how socioeconomic characteristics and risk perceptions about chronic diseases and weight gain affect these motives. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is an instrument to analyze the motivations for food choice. The FCQ was completed by 525 adult individuals in Brazil. The participants were asked about their perceived risk of gaining weight, developing diabetes, and hypertension. Confirmatory factor analysis led to the rejection of the original FCQ structure, and, after exploratory factor analysis, 30 items of the FCQ were maintained in eight factors: Nutritional Composition, Preparation Convenience, Purchase Convenience, Mood, Sensory Appeal, Health, Price, and Familiarity. Sensory Appeal and Familiarity were, respectively, the most and the least important factors involved in food choices in this sample. A high education level, high income, age, and female sex positively affected FCQ factors (except for the Price factor). On the basis of FCQ scores, we defined five clusters: Health Driven, Practicality Concerned, Shape Concerned, Food Concerned, and Cooking Enthusiasts. In general, individuals were optimistic regarding the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and gaining weight, especially those from the Shape Concerned cluster. The differences in food choice motives presented here reinforce the existence of different niches of food consumption. Different types of products can attract specific target groups at the time of choice.