Factor's Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention of Dietary Supplement Product's in Sibu

FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION
OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS IN SIBU
Simon Kiew Sieng Hee
Corporate Master in Business Administration

2016
FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION
OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS
IN SIBU
By
SIMON KIEW SIENG HEE
This project is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

Corporate Master in Business Administration (CMBA) programme
Faculty of Economics and Business

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK
2016
i
Statement of Originality
The work described in this Corporate Business Project, entitled

“FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION OF
DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS IN SIBU”
is to the best of the author’s knowledge that of the author except
where due reference is made.
(Date Submitted) (Student’s Signature)

15030676
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my supervisor Associate Professor Dr.
Liew Khim Sen for his invaluable advice and guidance in supporting me to complete this
corporate business project paper.
Last but not least, I also would like to express my gratitude to my friends and parents
for their encouragement and continuous support given to me throughout the duration of this
project paper. I also wish to express my appreciation to my wife, Ms. Elena Ten that encourages
and support me all the way through the duration of this project paper. Without her support, I
don’t think I can manage to complete this project paper.
i
ABSTRACT
FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION OF DIETARY

SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS IN SIBU
By
The main objective of this study is to explore the factors that influencing consumers’ purchase
intention of dietary supplement products in Sibu. Generally, the study is to investigate the influence of
demographic variables (gender and education level), consumer characteristic variables (health value and
health knowledge), social influence & control variables (normative influence, informational influence,
and PBC) as well as attitude and purchase intention on dietary supplement products in Sibu. A minimum
total of 384 questionnaires will be distributed to the target respondents to collect the sample data. Eight
hypotheses are developed to test the specific objectives of the study. Demographic variables and social
influence expected to have positive significant relationship with consumers’ attitude and intention
toward the purchase of dietary supplement products. Last but not least, the findings of the study shall
provide information to health professionals to understand what factors will influence their
patient to purchase and to promote appropriate use of Dietary supplements. Besides, it shall
also provide useful information for manufacturers of dietary supplements to produce new or
customize existing products to better suit their consumers’ needs, and shall also provide benefits
to marketers to review their marketing plans to better segment and target their consumers based
on the factors determined to increase their sales especially in the area of Sibu and generally in
Malaysia.
Keywords: Dietary supplements, demographic, social influence and control, attitude and
purchase intention
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ABSTRAK
FAKTOR MENPENGARUHI NIAT PENGGUNA DALAM PEMBELIAN

MAKANAN TAMBAHAN DI SIBU
Oleh
Objektif utama kajian ini adalah untuk meneroka faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi
niat pembelian pengguna terhadap produk makanan tambahan di Sibu. Secara umumnya, kajian
ini adalah untuk menyiasat pengaruh pembolehubah demografi (jantina dan tahap pendidikan),
pembolehubah ciri pengguna (nilai kesihatan dan pengetahuan kesihatan), pengaruh sosial dan
pembolehubah kawalan (pengaruh normatif, pengaruh maklumat, dan PBC) dan juga sikap dan
niat pembelian terhadap produk makanan tambahan di Sibu. Seramai minimum 384 soal selidik
akan diedarkan kepada responden untuk mengumpul data sampel. Lapan hipotesis telah
diwujudkan untuk menguji objektif khusus. pembolehubah demografi dan pengaruh sosial
dijangka mempunyai hubungan positif antara sikap dan niat pengguna ke arah pembelian
produk makanan tambahan. Akhir sekali, dapatan kajian ini akan memberi maklumat kepada
profesional kesihatan untuk memahami apa faktor yang akan mempengaruhi pesakit mereka
terhadap pembelian dan menggalakkan penggunaan makanan tambahan yang lebih sesuai.
Selain itu, ia juga akan memberikan maklumat yang berguna kepada pengeluar makanan
tambahan untuk menghasilkan produk baru atau menyesuaikan produk yang sedia ada demi
keperluan pengguna mereka, dan ia juga boleh memberi manfaat kepada pemasar untuk
mengkaji semula rancangan pemasaran demi menentukan segmen pengguna sasaran mereka
dengan lebih baik berdasarkan faktor yang telah dipilih demi meningkatkan jualan mereka di
kawasan Sibu khususnya dan Malaysia secara amnya.
Kata Kunci: Makanan tambahan, demografi, pengaruh sosial dan kawalan, sikap dan niat
pembelian
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ ii
ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF APPENDIXES ...................................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Background of Study ................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.1 Definition of Dietary Supplement ........................................................................................ 2
1.2.2 Marketing of Dietary Supplement in Malaysia.................................................................... 3
1.3 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................................... 7
1.4.1 General Objective................................................................................................................ 7
1.4.2 Specific Objective ................................................................................................................ 7
1.5 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................ 8
1.6 Organization of the Study............................................................................................................ 9
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................... 10
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Theory of Planned Behavior ...................................................................................................... 10
2.2.1 Attitude .............................................................................................................................. 12
2.2.2 Intention............................................................................................................................. 12
2.3 Characteristic of Consumers ..................................................................................................... 14
2.3.1 Health Value ...................................................................................................................... 14
2.3.2 Health Knowledge ............................................................................................................. 16
2.4 Demographic Variables ............................................................................................................. 16
2.4.1 Education Level ................................................................................................................. 16
2.4.2 Gender ............................................................................................................................... 19
2.5 Social Influence and Control ................................................................................................. 1920
2.5.1 Influence of Normative .................................................................................................. 1920
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2.5.2 Influence of Information .................................................................................................... 21
2.5.3 Perceived Behavioral Control ........................................................................................... 22
2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 24
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 25
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 25
3.2 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................. 25
3.3 Hypothesis Development .......................................................................................................... 27
3.3.1 Health Value, Attitude and Purchase Intention ................................................................. 27
3.3.2 Health Knowledge, Attitude and Purchase Intention ........................................................ 28
3.3.3 Gender, Attitude and Purchase Intention .......................................................................... 28
3.3.4 Education Level, Attitude and Purchase Intention ............................................................ 29
3.3.5 Normative Influence, Attitude and Purchase Intention ..................................................... 29
3.3.6 Informational Influence, Attitude and Purchase Intention ................................................ 30
3.3.7 PBC, Attitude and Purchase Intention .......................................................................... 3130
3.3.8 Attitude and Purchase Intention ........................................................................................ 31
3.4 Questionnaire Design ............................................................................................................ 3231
3.5 Population and Sample Size ...................................................................................................... 33
3.6 Pilot Test ................................................................................................................................... 33
3.7 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................................... 34
3.7.1 Frequencies Distribution ................................................................................................... 34
3.7.2 Chi-Square Test ................................................................................................................. 34
3.7.3 Correlation Coefficient Analysis ....................................................................................... 34
3.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 36
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 37
v
LIST OF TABLES
Chapter Table Titles Page

3 3.1 Arrangement of the questionnaire items (Section 33
B)………...
3.2 Interpretation of the range of Correlation 36
Coeffcient………..
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Chapter Figures Titles Page

2 2.1 Structural diagram of the Theory of Planned Behavior 11
(TPB)..
3 3.1 Conceptual 26
Framework………………………………………..
vii
LIST OF APPENDIXES
Appendix Titles Page

A Survey 45
Questionnaire………………………………………….
viii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Most of the destructive diseases that exist in the world today is not those caused by
germs and viruses, but they are degenerative diseases as a result from accumulated damage and
degeneration of our cells. In the past decade, chronic diseases, or termed Non-Communicable
Diseases (NCDs), for example, cancers, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and heart diseases are
the main reason of disability and death in Malaysia, which accounted for 71% of all deaths and
69% of the total burden of disease (Ramli & Taher, 2008). To date, there are 3.5 million of
Malaysians have diabetes, 6.1 million are associated with hypertension, and 100,000 people
suffer from cancer every year (The Star Online, 2016a).
The WHO Global Status Report 2010 on NCDs recorded that 36.1 million deaths were
from cancers, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and heart diseases (The Star Online, 2016a). The
report announced that nearly 80% of the deaths are occurred in low and middle income
countries, and are estimated to increase by 15% globally between 2010 and 2020, reaching 44
million a year (The Star Online, 2016a). The current health landscape requires patients to play
a more active role in their own healthcare. For many Americans, to be healthy means taking a
dietary supplement (Willis & Stafford, 2016).
A lot of people still think that degenerative diseases as unlucky and unavoidable as a
result of increase in age. Getting old does not mean sick (Picard 2011). Healthy lifestyle and
balanced nutrition in our daily diet will give us an excellent chance of avoiding chronic health
conditions.
Many medical types of research had provided convincing evidence that most of the
chronic diseases can be reduced or avoided if we can provide sufficient amounts of the right
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nutrients to the cells of our body through DS (MacWillian, 2015). As the chronic diseases in
Malaysia are increasing at an alarming stage, this study is attempted to find out what are the
factors that will influence the purchase intention of consumers toward DS products.
The remainder of this chapter is organized as follows. Section 1.2 will explain about the
background of this study, which includes the definition of DS and the market of DS in Malaysia
context. Section 1.3 will describe the problem statement, follow by section 1.4, which will focus
on the objective of the study, section 1.5 on the significance of the study, and the last, section
1.6 will lay out the organization of the remaining chapters of the study.
1.2 Background of Study
Rising of health-consciousness within Malaysians had encouraged consumers to be
more alert on their daily nutrient intake. Many Malaysians are using dietary supplements (DS)
to help maintain the balance of nutrients they need. A large number of vitamins and DS products
available in Malaysia also enabled more Malaysians to have a higher acceptance of the
importance of such products. Given the significant growth in this healthcare industry, especially
in vitamin and DS products (Euromonitor, 2016b), and also high percentage (70%) of non-
communicable diseases in Malaysia nowadays, there is a need to evaluate the situation and
purchase intention of consumers for the domestic DS markets. This is essential to provide
clearer and better information for policy makers, manufacturers and marketers, to better
segment their customer and understand consumers’ real needs in order to serve them well, and
at the same time to maintain market competitiveness.
1.2.1 Definition of Dietary Supplement
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2015), a dietary supplement
(DS) is defined as manufactured goods that contain dietary ingredients such vitamins, minerals
2
and herbs that intended to supplement the diet. DS can exist in various forms such as tablets,
capsules, gel caps, soft gels, liquids, or powders. Some DS can assist in getting sufficient dietary
intake of essential nutrients that are required by humans’ body; while others may help in
reducing the risk of getting disease.
1.2.2 Marketing of Dietary Supplement in Malaysia
One in two Malaysians, around half of the population (52%) found to took dietary
supplements (DS), ranking 4th in the Asia pacific region and 7th globally (Marketing Magazine,
2009). Among Malaysians who consume DS, 66% claim that it is their daily practice. In term
of benefit, 79% of consumers choose DS to boost their immune system, while 56% response
that taking DS to make sure their diet is balanced (Marketing Magazine, 2009).
According to the data from the Malaysian Adults Nutrition Survey (MANS) 2014, the
report found out that about one third of Malaysian adults consume DS products. There was an
increase trend of both vitamin/mineral supplements and food supplements intake between year
2003 (23.94% and 24.79%) and 2014 (28.05% and 34.02%). The survey also revealed that most
DS users were more likely to be female, with higher education level and higher monthly
income, and living in urban area.
According to the most recent market research from Technavio, the market of DS in
Malaysia is projected to achieve USD 6.07 million by 2019, growing at a compound annual
growing rate (CAGR) of more than 11% (BusinessWire, 2016). The DS segment led the market
with a total share around 49% during 2014 and is estimated to lead the market until the end of
2019. Manufacturers of DS have eagerly participated onto this growing consumption trend and
aggressively marketed their healthcare products such as dietary supplement. The increase of the
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aging population in Malaysia and awareness of benefits from DS is the key driver for the market
growth of this region.
The market of health supplement in Malaysia consists of both local and international
vendors. They are competing with each other in term of quality and pricing. The DS products
are easily available to consumers from clinics, pharmacy stores such as Watson and Guardian,
and even from direct selling agents. Nowadays, The DS products also make available to
purchase online through the website of direct selling companies such as Amway, eCosway, to
name a few. The top DS vendors in Malaysia are Amway, Cosway, CCM, Herbalife, and
Herbalceutical. Other well-known vendors include Astana Biocare, Bioalpha, Dynapham Era
Herbal, Herbal, QD Herbs, and White Heron Pharmaceuticals (Technavio, 2015). Given the
significant globalization challenges and increasing competition, the high availability of DS
products and wider acceptances from consumers had become the key driver for strong growth
in the DS market in Malaysia.
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1.3 Problem Statement
Medical research now has convincing evidence that the lifetime risk of cancer, heart
disease, diabetes, stroke, neurological disorders, osteoporosis, macular degeneration,
Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia can be reduced by providing the cells of the
body with sufficient amounts of the right nutrients (MacWillian, 2015). We can help replace
the nutrients missing from our diets with vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients from
supplements (MacWillian, 2015).
Even though the health awareness level among peoples in Malaysia is increasing and
around half of the population in Malaysia found to took DS (Marketing Magazine, 2009),
however Malaysia has been labeled as the fattest country in South-East Asia (The Star Online,
2014) and rated as the highest among Asian countries for obesity (Malaymail Online, 2016).
Besides, more Malaysians are expected to suffer from mental illness by 2020 (The Star Online,
2016b). According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS, 2011), the pre-obese
and obese rate for adults are 33.3% (5.4 million) and 27.2% (4.4 million), while 3.9% (0.3
million) of children are obese. In 2015, the rate of pre-obese and obese for adults had increased
to 33.4% (6.3 million) and 30.6% (5.7 million) respectively, while the rate of obesity for
children also increased to 11.9% with total of 1.0 million (NHMS, 2015). 17.5% Malaysians
aged 18 and above had diabetes in year 2015 as compared to year 2011 (15.2%), 30.3%
Malaysians are hypertensive, and 1 in 2 Malaysians adult age 18 and above had high cholesterol
level (NHMS, 2015).
Despite of Goods and Services Tax (GST) implemented by government in 2015, more
consumers were careful in their spending, because of the raise of living cost due to higher
transportations and food costs. However, demand for DS products remained strong among
consumers in Malaysia.
5
Theoretically, increased health consciousness and strong demand for DS products
should reduce the percentage of risk for getting a disease. However, based on the current health
related issues in Malaysia, many chronic diseases are increasing at alarming stage at recent
years. Besides, information about DS has not always been collected by health professionals
from their patients (Kennedy et al., 2013).
For that reason, this study aims to find out more about the factors that will influence
consumers’ purchase decision of dietary supplement products. In respect of this, this study is
intended to answer three important research questions:
1) Do consumer characteristic variables such as health value and health knowledge
influence the purchase intention of DS products?
2) Are purchase intentions of DS products influenced by demographic variables
such as education level and gender influence?
3) Do social influence such as social norm and information influence affect the
purchase intention of DS products?
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1.4 Objectives of the Study
1.4.1 General Objective
The general objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence the purchase
intention towards dietary supplement products among consumers in Sibu, Sarawak. The study
will employ an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with three main factors namely
consumer characteristics (Health Value and Health Knowledge), demographic variables and
social influence & control (Normative influence, Informational influence, and Perceived
behavioral control) to examine attitude and purchase intention towards dietary supplement
products.
1.4.2 Specific Objective
This study attempt to achieve the following objectives:
1. To investigate the influence of health value towards attitude and purchase intention of
dietary supplement products.
2. To determine the influence of health knowledge towards attitude and purchase intention
of dietary supplement products.
3. To investigate whether educational level has a significant relationship on attitude and
purchase intention of dietary supplement products.
4. To discover the relationship between gender on attitude and purchase intention of
5. To ascertain whether normative influence has a significant relationship on attitude and
purchase intention of dietary supplement products.
6. To examine whether informational influence has a significant relationship on attitude
and purchase intention of dietary supplement products.
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7. To investigate whether perceived behavioral control (PBC) has a significant relationship
on attitude and purchase intention of dietary supplement products.
1.5 Significance of the Study
Many medical researchers had provided convincing evidence that chronic diseases can
be reduced by providing the sufficient amount of nutrients to the cells of the body (MacWilliam,
2015). As chronic diseases in Malaysia is increasing at an alarming stage, it is required that the
policy makers should immediately review our public health policies to provide supportive for
Malaysians to work towards practicing a healthier lifestyle. As prevention better than cure,
taking DS can help in reduce and prevent chronic diseases.
By identifying the factors that will influence the consumers’ purchase intention on DS
products, policy makers can review the current public health policies in the effort to reduce the
percentage of chronic diseases. The findings from this study shall provide information to health
professionals to understand what factors will influence their patient to purchase DS products to
promote appropriate use of DS. Besides, the analysis results shall also provide useful
information for manufacturers of DS to produce new or customize existing products to better
suit their consumers’ needs. The result shall also provide benefits to marketers to review their
marketing plans to better segment and target their consumers based on the factors determined
to increase their sales.
8
1.6 Organization of the Study
This research has been organized into five chapters.
Chapter 1 – Introduction: This chapter discusses an overview of research background.
Definition of dietary supplements has been discussed together with the problem statement,
research questions and objectives and significance of the study.
Chapter 2 – Literature Review: This chapter will discuss previous studies and researches
that had been conducted together with a discussion of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
and discuss all the variables that contributed to an extended version of TPB.
Chapter 3 – Research Methodology: This chapter explains the conceptual framework
used in this study, hypotheses development, methodology, and questionnaire design.
Chapter 4 – Research Findings: This chapter will report the data collected and present
the analysis result against the hypotheses generated in Chapter 3.
Chapter 5 – Discussion & Conclusion: This chapter contains discussion, conclusion,
and limitation of the study together with a recommendation of this research for the future study.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
In this study, the objective is to identify factors that influencing consumers' purchase
decision of dietary supplements products in Sibu, Sarawak. Consumers’ intention for
supplements is the initial step in developing demand for dietary supplements products. The
buying process includes all the steps that a consumer takes leading to a purchase. The five steps
of consumers’ buying process (Silbiger, 2012) will be served as a guideline in this study.
To better understanding of the important psychosocial variables that influence the
consumption of dietary supplements products, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991)
will be applied to this study to examine the relationship among beliefs, attitudes, intention and
behavior. This study involved consumers’ characteristic (health-value and health knowledge),
Demographic Variables, and social influence and control (Normative influence, informational
influence and perceived behavioral control). Validating the use of the TPB in relation to
purchase intention of supplement products is interesting to research. With the introduction of
the variables above, a review of the previous TPB research will be discussed, together with
some dietary supplement literature.
2.2 Theory of Planned Behavior
TPB is an extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). It was extended by Ajzen
by add-in one extra measure, namely perceived behavioral control (PBC) due to the limitation
of the original model in dealing with behaviors (Ajzen & Madden, 1986). PBC is a
multidimensional construct that reflects perceived control over the behavior, perceived
difficulty of engaging in the behavior, and also perceived self-efficacy to perform the behavior
(Gerend & Shepherd, 2012). This model assumes that a behavior is determined by the intentions
10
to carry out on the said behavior. In addition, it also predicted that behavior can also affect by
perceived behavioral control if an individual does not have complete volitional control.
According to Fiske & Taylor (1991), many studies, especially psychological research
has focused on individual’s perception that affects their choices or intention, by using social
cognition approach. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) is the most commonly
used social cognition model. It appears as the most popular framework in studying of human
action (Ajzen, 2001). Although almost 16 years, the TPB is still the most widely used theory
adopted by many studies in the health-related area (Conner et al, 2001; Sun et al, 2006; Chung
et al, 2012; Emanuel et al., 2012; Gerend & Shephred, 2012; Montarano & Bryan, 2014; Azila
Mohd Noor et al., 2014).
Figure 2.1: Structural diagram of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).
Source: Ajzen (1991)
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2.2.1 Attitude
Attitudes are determined by the opinions and feelings of an individual towards a
behavior. It shows the way that how individual behave towards a behavior. It represents overall
assessments of the behavior as positive or negative for the individual. In the meta-analysis of
TPB, attitudes were the most powerful predictors of intentions (Armitage and Conner, 2001).
Chung et al. (2012) had modeled the purchase intentions of Chinese consumers for
imported soy-based dietary supplements products by using the TPB. Their study revealed that
attitude can be greatly influenced by variable such as the perceived behavioral control and
marketer distrust, as revealed in their study.
2.2.2 Intention
According to meta-analysis in TPB, intentions appeared as the strongest predictors of
behavior (Armitage and Conner, 2001). The intention is the core factor in TPB to evaluate
whether an individual willing to perform a given behavior or not. Human behavior is
determined by intention and also perceived behavioral control, and behavior is influenced by
the intention to whether or not to perform the behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Intentions themselves
are subjected by attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavior control that will influence a
behavior. It serves as an indicator to indicate that how much effort an individual willing to
exercise to engage in a behavior. In general, the stronger the intention, the probability of an
individual to engage in a particular behavior will be higher.
Conner et al., (2001) had included additional variables namely health value, perceived
susceptibility, and self-identity as a healthy eater into TPB model to help in explaining what
are the factors that influence British female consumers in consume dietary supplements
products. It was the first time that health value been introduced into TPB. The study concluded
12
that intention is strongly affected by attitude. Furthermore, Sun et al. (2006) also employed TPB
in their study and concluded that behavioral intention can be impacted by other variables such
as health value, as revealed in their study.
On the other hand, Azila Mohd Noor et al. (2014) had using the TPB, together with
moderator variable namely health motivation in their research on consumer attitudes toward DS
consumption. The study concluded that changes in attitude, norm and perception of control
might lead to changes in behavioral intention.
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2.3 Characteristic of Consumers
2.3.1 Health Value
According to Rokeach (1976), even though attitudes look a lot like values, values are
more fundamental than attitudes, with following ordering: Values  Attitudes  behaviors
(Rokeach, 1976). He explained that values are more central to personality and more basic to the
expression of individual needs and desires than attitudes. Some previous studies had been
carried out to examine the health value towards attitudes to engage in health-related behaviors
(Conner et al., 2001; Tromp et al., 2005; Chung et al., 2010; Jun et al., 2014; Dickinson &
Mackay, 2014).
Health value can be explained as the degree of a person to evaluate his/her own
healthiness (Conner et al., 2001; Tudoran et al., 2009). If an individual have a high health value,
the individual will be more prone to be engaging in preventive health behaviors, for example
like taking dietary supplements products (Conner et al., 2001). In other words, individuals with
high health value will have positive attitudes toward purchasing intension on dietary
supplements products.
Conner et al. (2001) had using health value for the first time into their study to explore
the factors that influence women to use dietary supplements products. Their findings show that
those women with higher health value were more likely to engage in consuming dietary
supplements products and believing that it would prevent them from sick and stay healthier
(Conner et al., 2001).
Besides, Tromp et al. (2005) had performed a study on the connection between health
value and the patients with head and neck cancer which seeking for medical care. Their findings
14
show that patients with high health value were more likely to stop smoking or drinking than
those patient with low health value (Tromp et al., 2005).
On the other hand, Sun et al., (2006) had investigated the factors that influence purchase
intentions of Chinese female consumers, both from urban and rural areas, on iron-fortified soy
sauce. The study found out that knowledge can directly and indirectly affected the intention to
buy iron-fortified soy sauce as less knowledge on fortified soy sauce lowered the consumption
rate, while consumers with knowledge on fortified soy sauce also worried about the quality of
fortified soy sauce, the side effect and also the taste and smell that indirectly affected the
consumption of the product.
Jun et al. (2014) had examined the effects of health value toward the intention of
selecting healthful food at restaurants. The results from their study had found out that health
value had a positive effect on attitudes and behavioral intentions (Jun et al., 2014).
The more recent review conducted by Dickinson & Mackay, (2014) had reported that
people with higher health value tend to put more effort in maintaining their normal body weight,
getting physical exercise more regularly, and avoid smoking or given up smoking. They also
reviewed that people with higher health value are more likely to use supplements products
(Dickinson & Mackay, 2014).
On the other hand, Chung et al. (2010) also employed health value into the model of
TPB to predicting the Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward soy-based dietary
supplements. Surprisingly, their finding revealed that health value do not had any influence on
Chinese consumers’ attitude toward purchasing soy-based dietary supplements (Chung et al.,
2010).
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2.3.2 Health Knowledge
Consumers’ knowledge can be explained as stored information that consumers have,
and the perception of their own knowledge (Carlson et al., 2009). Low health knowledge often
connected with poor health outcomes as individual with poor health literacy are less responsive
to health education, less successful in managing chronic disorders, and normally incur higher
cost in health (Spronk et al., 2014). Some previous studies had examined the relationship
between health knowledge and purchase intention (Lee, 2013; Harris and Thomas, 2016; Hsu
et al., 2016).
Gracia and de Magistris (2013) had concluded that purchase intention of organic
products is depends on the attitudes and also the knowledge on organic products. Organic
knowledge positively influences the final decision to purchase organic food products.
Harris and Thomas (2016) had investigated the relationship between caloric knowledge
and the purchase intention on fast food products. Their study showed that consumers with low
caloric knowledge were more likely to order more calories in fast food restaurant. Their result
showed that health knowledge can influence purchase intention.
Besides, Hsu et al. (2016) in their study also found out that knowledge on organic food,
food safety and health consciousness can influence purchase intention of organic food. Thus,
in common, we can assume that high knowledge in health can increase purchase intention
towards DS products.
2.4 Demographic Variables
2.4.1 Education Level
Some previous studies had been carried out to examine the relationship between
education level and health-related issues (Woo et al., 1999; Lee at al., 2001; Sun et al., 2006;
16
Sidik et al., 2009; Bailey et al., 2010; Paul & Rana, 2015; Dickinson & MacKay, 2014; Ong et
al., 2014; Cheah, 2014).
Woo et al. (1999) examine the influence of marital status and educational level on
dietary intake in Chinese adult in Hong Kong. Their study had found out that women with
higher educational level have higher fruit intake per week, whereas men with higher educational
level have the higher intake of dairy products. The study also found out that women with higher
educational level have the lower body mass index (BMI), while men have healthy blood
pressure associated with the higher educational level (Woo et al, 1999).
Besides, Lee at al. (2001) also conducted a study to examine the relationship between
dietary intake and cognitive performance among elderly people in Korea. From the cognitive
function test conducted in their study, it was found out that age and educational level were
strongly related to cognitive ability. The study found out that those men and women with poor
cognitive function were elder and had lower levels of education. The finding in the study
explained that individuals with higher education will recognize the importance of nutrition and
thus they will select foods more properly to consume in order for them to stay healthy.
On the other hand, Sun et al. (2006) also found out that the importance of education
level in their study. They include education level in their rural model to predict the intention of
rural population in China in utilizing iron-fortified soy sauce. Their study reveals that the higher
the level of education, the better understanding of iron-fortified soy sauce, and thus had stronger
intention to buy iron-fortified soy sauce. In contrast, higher educational level also caused further
doubts concerning iron-fortified soy sauce and led to lower behavioral identity (Sun et al., 2006).
Furthermore, Sidik & Rampal (2009) had conducted a study to examine the prevalence
and factors that allied with obesity among women in Selangor. Their study concluded that there
17
was a significant relationship between obesity and level of education (Sidik & Rampal, 2009).
The study discovered that prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in respondents with
no schooling and no formal education as compared to those with qualification (Sidik & Rampal,
2009).
Besides, Bailey et al. (2010) used the data from National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006 to identify the factors that influence the dietary
supplement use among U.S population. Their study also discovered that higher educational
attainments were more likely to use DS products.
Paul and Rana (2012) found out that consumers with high and professional education
are more likely to buy more organic food as they believe that organic food can benefit their
health.
In the more recent review conducted by Dickinson & Mackay (2014) on the health
habits of dietary supplement users, they had found out that higher education level was linked
with supplement use. Supplement usage is higher in people with more education than in people
with less, as people with higher education are more aware about important of health. The study
also found out that obese people were less likely to use DS products. Besides, Ong et al. (2014)
also found out that consumers with a higher level of education had more positive attitude toward
purchasing of functional foods. Individual with less educated also tended to spend less money
in health-related expenditure such as dietary supplement products (Cheah, 2014).
From these previous studies, we can conclude that education level had a significant
relationship between health-related issues and dietary intake. Highly educated individuals know
the importance of nutrition and tend to healthier dietary intake as compared to less educated
one which tends to have poorer diets.
18
2.4.2 Gender
Some previous studies had investigated the factor of gender in health related behavior
(Stjemberg et al., 2006; Emanual et al., 2013; Kennedy et al., 2013; Ong et al., 2014).
Stjemberg et al. (2006) showed that women are more likely to using herbal medicine
and/or food supplements as compared to men. The study explained that the gender difference
might due to women, in general, seem to be more alert of their health status.
Emanual et al. (2013) adopted TPB to examine the gender difference in vegetable and
fruit intake among adult. It is reported that women take more fruit and vegetable than men. The
study explained that men had weaker beliefs in the importance of fruit and vegetable intake for
health, and also less confidence in the ability to eat fruit and vegetable when other junk foods
are accessible.
Besides, the study conducted by Kennedy et al. (2013) to investigate the DS use pattern
among adult population in United State had found out that DS use is most common among
women.
Besides, the more recent study conducted by Ong et al. (2014) also concluded that
females were more likely to buy functional foods as compare to male counterparts.
2.5 Social Influence and Control
2.5.1 Influence of Normative
Normative influence (also known as subjective norms) is determined by the social
pressures on an individual whether to engage or not to engage in a particular behavior. It is
judge by what others think the individual should act and individual’s motivation to comply in
accordance with (Ajzen, 1991). Some previous studies had examined the normative influence
19
in consumption of DS products (Conner et al., 2001; Conner et al., 2003; Chen, 2007; Chung
et al., 2012), and fruit and vegetable intake (Emanual et al., 2013).
Conner et al. (2001 & 2003) in their study found out that books and magazines had a
strong influence on a person’s decision to use DS products. Besides, the study also suggested
that experts’ advice can also influence an individual to use DS products.
Furthermore, Chen (2007) showed that subjective norm had a positive influence on the
purchase intention on organic food. In other word, the study found out that influence from
friends and family members will positively influence the purchase intention of organic food.
In addition, Chung et al. (2012) had examined the factors that influence Chinese
consumers’ purchase intention on soy-based DS products. Their study had found out that
subjective norm had a positive influence on the intentions to purchase soy-based DS products
as Chinese consumers are extremely sensitive to social pressure.
Besides, Emanual et al. (2013) found out that males reported greater perceived norms
regarding fruit and vegetable as compare to females. Because males perceive by others that they
are inadequate in fruit and vegetable intake, thus, the male may experience greater pressure
from others in order to increase fruit and vegetable intake.
Nowadays, with increased popularity of social media websites such as facebook and
twitter, people can now easily obtain a huge amount of information through news, comments
and advice from their social networks’ friends. Thus, we can assume that consumers’ attitude
and purchase intention towards DS products nowadays can greatly be affected by normative
influence.
20
2.5.2 Influence of Information
People involved in purchase decisions are confronted with information from a variety
of sources such as salesperson, blogs, consumer reports, specialty magazines, family, friends,
and local experts (Silbiger, 2012).
Information regarding DS products is easily available through a newspaper, books,
magazines, retail stores, the Internet and other sources of mass media (Dutta-Bergman, 2004).
Nowadays, with the advancement of Internet technology, information can be even obtained at
your fingertips. Marketers always want to make sure that their target market to get as much
favorable information as possible when making their purchase decision.
In the case of DS products, label information serves as an important piece of information
to consumers before they purchase the product. Similarly, Chen (2007) showed that label
information on organic food products will influence consumers’ purchase intention. Gabriels &
Lambert (2013) has examined the influence of label information on purchase decision of
nutritional supplement products. Their study revealed that 70% of respondents are strongly
influenced by the label information on the container, 50% of express the important of the label
information on the container, and 40% were strongly influenced by the ingredients on the labels
when they purchase DS products.
The information search in the five steps of consumers’ buying process (Silbiger, 2012)
require consumer to obtain information piece before making purchase. In the case of DS
products, at least the consumer can acquire product information through the labeling on the
container. Thus, we can assume that labeling information can influence consumers’ attitude and
intention toward purchasing of DS products.
21
2.5.3 Perceived Behavioral Control
The perceived behavioral control acts as a crucial part in the TPB. In fact, it’s existence
that makes the TPB differs from the TRA. TRA assumes that behaviors can be predicted
through intentions along, and it claims that human behaviors are always under volitional control.
However, there are situations where individuals do not have complete control over their
behaviors. Due to this limitation, perceived behavioral control has been added into TPB in order
to predict behaviors that do not have volitional control (Ajzen, 1991). The original definition
of perceived behavioral control was to perceive easy or difficult for an individual to perform a
behavior.
According to Conner and Sparks (2005), PBC is predicted by the combination of
internal control factor (abilities, skills, personal deficiencies, information, emotions) and
external factor namely perceived power (barriers, dependence on others, opportunities). In other
words, control factors refer to those factors that how easy an individual engage in the behavior,
while perceived power deal to those factors that may avert an individual engage in performing
a behavior. The more an individual feel they are in control, the more positive his/her attitudes
(Chung et al., 2012). In other word, an individual who perceived that the given behavior is easy
to carry out, and believe that they have the needed resources, such as time, money, skill, to
name a few, will have stronger intention to engage in that behavior (Yap et al., 2014).
As the health care burden becoming increasingly costly, consumers are more willing to
involve in self-treatment proactively by consuming DS products to improve their physical
health (Okleshen Peters et al., 2004).
22
Chen (2007) mentioned that ability to identify organic foods label will influence PBC.
The study showed if a consumer perceived more behavioral control such as organic food label,
the higher the purchase intention on organic food.
Besides, Chung et al., (2012) had modeled the purchase intentions of Chinese
consumers for imported soy-based dietary supplements products by using the TPB. Their study
revealed that the perceived behavioral control was the strongest influence in the formation of
attitude.
23
2.6 Conclusion
This chapter has discussed about the most commonly used social cognition model
namely the Theory of Planned behavior (TPB) in the health-related studies, construct of attitude
and intention, the literature review on consumers’ characteristic (health value and health
knowledge), demographic variables (educational level and gender), social influence and control
(normative influence, informational influence and perceived behavioral control). Based on the
empirical findings, we had outlined the methodology and theoretical framework which
established by previous researchers that we can adopt the findings to illustrate a theoretical
framework to proceed with our research in the following chapter.
24
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
In this chapter discusses the methodology used in this research. A conceptual framework
has been developed for this study with eight hypotheses designed to find out the factor that
influencing purchase intention of dietary supplement products in Sibu, Sarawak. This area
included in this chapter will also cover the population, sampling, questionnaire design, data
collection, pilot test, and data analysis method for this research.
3.2 Conceptual Framework
The theoretical framework for this study is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior
(TPB). After review previous studies done by various researchers, some interesting factors had
been identified and adopted into this study. This study tries to explain the purchase intention
towards DS products through three main factors namely consumers’ characteristic (Health
value and health knowledge), demographic variables (Education level and gender), and social
influence and control (Normative influence, informational influence, and perceived behavioral
control). In addition, this custom made framework is different with other researches in health-
related studies as it incorporates consumers’ characteristic, demographic variable, and social
influence and control with the TPB. From the literature review, these factors may lead to affect
and changing consumers’ attitudes, which will then influence their intention to purchase dietary
supplement products. This study will try to identify the most governing factors that will lead to
influence the purchase intention on dietary supplement products among consumers in Sibu,
Sarawak.
The proposed relationship between independent and dependent variables are show in
Figure 3 and further discussed in the following section.
25
Figure 3.1: Conceptual Framework
Consumers’
Characteristic
Health
Value
Health Attitude
Knowledge
Demographic
Variables
Gender
Education
Level
Social Influence Purchase Intention on

& Control Dietary Supplement
Normative
Influence
Informational
Influence
PBC
Source: A custom made framework from Azila Mohd Noor et al., (2014)
26
3.3 Hypothesis Development
There are 8 hypotheses used to examine the relationship between dependent variables
and independent variables in order to determine the factors influencing purchase intention of
dietary supplement products in Sibu, Sarawak. The null hypothesis will be used to explain if no
relationship found between the variables, while alternative hypotheses are projected and
explained as following.
3.3.1 Health Value, Attitude and Purchase Intention
Health value represents the level of an individual in evaluating his/her own health
(Conner et al., 2001). Values are more central to personality and more basic to the expression
of individual needs and desires than attitudes. A person with high value in health will tend to
have a positive attitude to engage in taking dietary supplements (Conner et al., 2001). Positive
attitudes toward the product or brand increase the probability of intention and actual purchase.
As dietary supplements can provide us with those vitamins and nutrients that are missing from
our daily meals, therefore, it is common for an individual with high health value to engage in
taking dietary supplements to provide necessary and optimum vitamins and minerals, which is
not consumed in sufficient quantity, to their body to stay healthy (MacWilliam, 2015). Based
on these concepts, the hypothesis is proposed as following:
H1a: High value in health will lead to more positive attitude towards the purchase of
H1b: High value in health will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary supplement
products.
27
3.3.2 Health Knowledge, Attitude and Purchase Intention
Past studies have verified the positive effect of knowledge on health-related behavior. Commented [A1]: It is better to talk of theory argument, and then
show empirical support
Health knowledge influence consumers’ attitude and purchase intention towards DS products.
Individual with little health knowledge often related to poor health outcomes (Spronk et al.,
2014). Health knowledge is important in both attitude formation and greater intention toward
preventive healthcare (Gracia and de Magistris, 2013; Harris and Thomas, 2016; Hsu et al.,
2016). It is common that individual with high health knowledge will always try to maintain
their health at optimum level and actively involved in disease prevention such as regular
medical check-up, perform physical exercise regularly and consume dietary supplements. Thus,
Health knowledge is important in both attitude formation and greater intention toward
preventive healthcare (Gracia and de Magistris, 2013; Harris and Thomas, 2016; Hsu et al.,
2016). Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed as the following:
H2a: High level of health knowledge will lead to more positive attitude towards the
purchase of dietary supplement products.
H2b: High level of health knowledge will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary
supplement products.
3.3.3 Gender, Attitude and Purchase Intention
Empirical evidence had shown that women are more likely than man to involve in health Commented [A2]: Same comment as before
related behavior such as consume DS and higher intake of fruit and vegetable (Emanual et al.,
2013; Kennedy et al., 2013; Ong et al., 2014). Medical researchers have shown that women are
more vulnerable for developing the disease such as breast cancer, mental health, stress and
osteoarthritis than men. Due to these facts, women could be more actively take part in disease
prevention. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed:
28
H3a: Females have more positive attitude towards the purchase of dietary supplement
products.
H3b: Females have a greater intention to purchase dietary supplement products.
3.3.4 Education Level, Attitude and Purchase Intention
Many previous studies had examined the relationship between education level Commented [A3]: Same comment
and health-related behavior such as dietary intake and supplement usage (Woo et al., 1999; Lee
at al., 2001; Sun et al., 2006; Sidik et al., 2009; Dickinson & MacKay, 2014; Ong et al., 2014;
Cheah, 2014). Individuals with higher education level tend to select foods with more caution
and properly (Lee et al., 2001), and tended to spend more money in health-related expenditure
such as dietary supplement products (Cheah, 2014) as compare to those with less educated, in
order for them to keep in health. In common sense, individuals with higher education level will
recognize the importance of nutrition and thus they will select foods more properly to consume
in order for them to stay healthy and reduce the risk of getting chronic diseases. Therefore, the
hypothesis is proposed as following:
H4a: High education level will lead to more positive attitude towards the purchase of
H4b: High education level will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary
3.3.5 Normative Influence, Attitude and Purchase Intention
According to Ajzen (2006), subjective norms refer to the perceived social pressure
whether or not to perform a behavior. According to earlier researchers, subjective norms serve
is the important predictors to influence consumers’ intentions to engage in particular health-
related behaviors (e.g. Conner et al., 2001; Sun et al., 2006; Chung et al., 2012). For example,
Chung et al. (2012) had found out that subjective norm had a significant influence on purchase
intention of imported soy-based dietary supplements among Chinese’s consumers. The TPB
29
showed that subjective norm such as family members, friends, and professional advice will
have a great influence on attitude and intention. Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed as Commented [A4]: Nor explain as of why
following:
H5a: Greater normative influence will lead to more positive attitude towards the
purchase of dietary supplement products.
H5b: Greater normative influence will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary
3.3.6 Informational Influence, Attitude and Purchase Intention
Information search is one of the important steps for consumers before making any
purchase (Silbiger, 2012). In this information technology era, consumers can access vast
information through the Internet at their fingertips in a fast and inexpensive way. People
involved in purchase decisions are confronted with information from a variety of sources.
Consumers can get information from sources such as salespersons, blogs, consumer reports,
specialty magazines, family, friends, and local experts (Silbiger, 2012). Information can
influence consumers’ attitude and intention toward the purchase. Therefore, the hypothesis is
proposed as the following:
H6a: Larger information will lead to more positive attitude towards the purchase of Commented [A5]: How to measure it?
H6b: Larger information will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary supplement
products.
30
3.3.7 PBC, Attitude and Purchase Intention
PBC refers to how easy and how much control an individual has when engaging in a
specific behavior (Ajzen, 2006). According to TPB, when sufficient control has over the
behavior, an individual is expected to carry out their intention when the opportunity comes.
Previous studies showed that PBC was important predictors in taking a dietary supplement
(Conner et al., 2001) and PBC was the strongest influence in the formation of attitude (Chung
et al., 2012). For that reason, the hypothesis is proposed as following:
H7a: Higher PBC will lead to more positive attitude towards the purchase of dietary
H7b: Higher PBC will lead to a greater intention to purchase dietary supplement
products.
3.3.8 Attitude and Purchase Intention
The TPB model used by many previous researchers had found out that intentions to
engage in health-related behaviors were most strongly predicted by attitude (Conner et al.,
2001; Sun et al., 2006; Chung et al., 2012). According to Conner et al. (2001) in their study to
explain the factors that influence women to use dietary supplements, supplement users having
more positive attitudes towards using supplement products. Sun et al. (2006) also found out that
attitude was a predecessor of intention to obtain fortified soy sauce among consumers of women
in China. From the work cited above and the TPB, positive attitude will lead to more positive
intention and vice versa. Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed as following:
H8: Positive consumer attitude will lead to greater intention to purchase dietary
31
3.4 Questionnaire Design
Survey is the most accepted form for collecting primary data. The questionnaire had
been used as the main tool in this survey. The survey is using an anonymous and self-
administered questionnaire. Besides, a close-end question had been used in this survey to ease
of coding of the information. The period of the survey was during the months of February until
May 2017. The questionnaires are designed to accomplish the specific objectives of the research
and to provide an answer to the research questions for this research paper. The questionnaires
are divided into 2 sections namely Section A and B as following.
Section A consists of demographic information of respondents included gender, age and
highest education level. Fixed alternative questions are provided in this part to ensure the
answers made by respondents are clear-cut and easily to fill it up within provided ranges.
In section B, respondents will be asked to respond to the items that related to consumer
characteristic, social influence & control, and attitude & purchase intention. This section
consists of 32 items with 5 items related to health value, 5 items on health knowledge, 4 items
on normative influence, 4 items on informational influence, 4 items on PBC, 5 items related to
attitude and lastly, 5 items related to purchase intention. All the items in this section were
structured on a five-point Likert scale. The scale is ranged from 1 represent strongly disagree
to 5 represent strongly agree. All the 32 items in this section were not arranged according to the
order of their areas but arranged according to the table Table 3.1 as below to increase the
reliability of the results. Each item had been assigned a unique sequence number from 1 to 32
by using a simple random technique that will determine the position of their appearance in
section B.
32
Table 3.1: Arrangement of the questionnaire items (Section B)
Item Area Item Number Total Items

Health Value 1 8 15 22 29 5
Health Knowledge 2 9 16 23 30 5
Normative Influence 3 10 17 24 4
Informational Influence 4 11 18 25 4
PBC 5 12 19 26 4
Attitude 6 13 20 27 31 5
Purchase Intention 7 14 21 28 32 5
Total 32
3.5 Population and Sample Size
The primary of the target population in this study comprise of residents in Sibu. Samples
were selected from the target population using the simple convenient sampling technique.
Under this technique, the samples of the research will be selected randomly. According to the
official website of Sawarak government, based on the last population and housing census
conducted in the year 2010, the total population in Sibu is around 247,995 (Sarawak
Government, 2016). Thus, according to the sample size calculator from Raosolf
(www.raosolf.com, 2004), the number of samples to sufficiently represent the whole population
in Ssibu with 95% confident level will be 384.
3.6 Pilot Test
Before the questionnaires are disseminated to the actual respondents, the drafts
questionnaires were tested for content validity to make sure the reliability and clarity of the
proposed questionnaires. A pilot study has been carried out over 15 individuals to validate the
methodology and identify the likely problems that may arise. The questionnaires then are
collected and analyzed. Finally, the questionnaires had been revised and improvement had been
done before the actual survey was carried out.
33
3.7 Statistical Analysis Commented [A6]: You must have reliability analysis, and factor
analysis, and explain how do you form the variables to test your
hypothesis
This study will exploit three main statistical analysis tools in SPSS software namely
frequency distribution to analyze the demographic information of respondents; Chi-Square test
to test the significant relationship between demographic variables (Especially gender and
education level) to the attitude and intention toward the purchasing of dietary supplement
products; and Kendall’s tau or Pearson Correlation analysis will be used to test the relationship
between independent and dependent variables.
3.7.1 Frequencies Distribution
A good first step in the analysis is to conveniently summarize the data by counting the
responses for each level of a given variable. By using frequencies distribution function in SPSS
software, demographic information of respondents can be easily displayed and analyzed
effectively.
3.7.2 Chi-Square Test Commented [A7]: This is for both qualitative variables. Your
dependent variable is interval(quantitative)
Chi-Square tests will be used to observe the effect of demographics variables on
dependent variables. Independent variables used in this test are gender and education level of
respondents. The demographic variables employed were tested for at the 5% significance level
(statistical significant at p=0.05). If the value of p is less than or equal to 0.05 (p <= 0.05), the
relationship between dependent and independent variable is significant. On the other hand, if
the p value is more than 0.05 (p > 0.05), it is insignificant and there will be no relationship
between dependent and independent variables.
3.7.3 Correlation Coefficient Analysis Commented [A8]: Mention which hypothesis is tested
The correlation coefficient is a measure that determines the degree to which two
variables' movements are associated. The value of the correlation coefficient is ranged from -
34
1.0 to 1.0. If a correlation value calculated is greater than 1.0 or less than -1.0, an inaccuracy
has been made. A correlation of 1.0 indicates a perfect positive correlation, whereas a
correlation of -1.0 indicates a perfect negative correlation. Correlation with 0 indicates there is
no relationship between dependent and independent variables. Commented [A9]: Mention what are they
In this research, the Kendall’s tau or Pearson Correlation Coefficient will be used to
evaluate the relationship between independent variables (factors influencing attitude and
purchase intention) and dependent variables (attitude and purchase intention) depending on the
data normality. If the data is not normally distributed, Kendall’s tau will be used; otherwise
Pearson Correlation Coefficient will be employed. The strength of the relationship is based on
the score of Correlation coefficient, the r value between dependent and independent variables
as show in the table 1 below.
35
Table 3.2: Interpretation of the range of Correlation Coeffcient
Positive Negative Interpretation
+1.00 -1.00 Perfect
+0.80 to +0.99 -0.80 to -0.99 Very Strong
+0.60 to +0.79 -0.60 to -0.79 Strong
+0.40 to +0.59 -0.40 to -0.59 Moderate
+0.20 to +0.39 -0.20 to -0.39 Weak
+0.01 to +0.19 -0.01 to -0.19 Very Weak
Source: Adopted from Salkind (2009)
3.8 Conclusion
In conclusion, this research will use survey method to obtain primary data from residents
in Sibu. Subsequently, SPSS software will be used to carry out certain statistical testing to
support the 8 hypotheses that derived from the research proposed conceptual framework. Chi-
Square test will be used to test the demographic variables such as gender and education level.
Depending on the result of the normality test, Kendall’s tau or Pearson Correlation analysis
will then be performed to investigate the relationship between each independent variable and
its’ dependent variable.
36
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44
APPENDIX A: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION OF

DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS
IN SIBU
Dear Sir/Madam,
This survey is carried out as a part of the researcher’s partial requirement to complete a
dissertation under the Corporate Master in Business Administration (CMBA) program of
University Malaysia of Sarawak (UNIMAS).
The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing consumer purchase intention
of dietary supplement products in Sibu, Sarawak. You have been selected as potential
respondent in this study. Please spare 10 to 15 minutes to complete the questionnaires. All the
information collected here will be treated as confidential.
Kindly read through the instructions carefully and complete all the questions in the
questionnaires. We appreciate your cooperation in providing information and spending some
time to fill up this survey.
Yours Sincerely,

15030676
simonkiew@gmail.com
45
Section A: Background Information
Please respond to the following items by ___how?:
1. Gender
Male Female
2. Age
Below 30 years old 30 – 39 years old
40 – 49 years old 50 – 59 years old
60 years old and above
3. Highest Education Level
Primary level Secondary level Diploma
Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree Doctoral Degree
Others: ______________________ (Please Specify)
Section B: Consumer Characteristic

Please respond to the items below by circling your choice.
(From 1 - for Strongly Disagree to 5 - for Strongly Agree)
Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
I always want to avoid tension.

1. 1 2 3 4 5
I am knowledgeable about taking care of my general health
2. 1 2 3 4 5
compared to an average person.
When purchasing dietary supplements, I generally purchase
3. 1 2 3 4 5
those brands that I think others will approve of.
When purchasing dietary supplements, I often consult other
4. 1 2 3 4 5
people to help choose the best alternative available.
There are factors outside my control that could prevent me
5. 1 2 3 4 5
from purchasing dietary supplements.
I think that the money I spend taking dietary supplements is
6. 1 2 3 4 5
worthwhile.
I am not intended to purchase dietary supplements.
7. 1 2 3 4 5
I always want to stay healthy.
8. 1 2 3 4 5
I am not familiar with preventing minor temporary problems
9. 1 2 3 4 5
such as colds and viruses.
Most people who are important to me would not support me
10. 1 2 3 4 5
to take dietary supplements.
46
Before purchase the right dietary supplement products, I often
11. 1 2 3 4 5
observe what others are buying and consuming.
I have complete control over whether or not I purchase dietary
12. 1 2 3 4 5
supplements from now on.
It is important for me to take dietary supplements.
13. 1 2 3 4 5
I plan to purchase dietary supplements.
14. 1 2 3 4 5
I always want to enjoy life more.
15. 1 2 3 4 5
I am familiar with preventing minor chronic problems such as
16. 1 2 3 4 5
allergies and dry skin.
People who are important to me would think that I should take
17. 1 2 3 4 5
dietary supplements.
Label information on dietary supplement products is not
18. 1 2 3 4 5
important for me before I made the purchase.
Overall, I have high control over purchasing dietary
19. 1 2 3 4 5
supplements.
It is valuable for me to take dietary supplements.
20. 1 2 3 4 5
I will try to purchase dietary supplements from now on.
21. 1 2 3 4 5
I do not want to stay fit longer. Commented [A10]: Not clear, rephrase it
22. 1 2 3 4 5
I am familiar with preventing major temporary problems such
23. 1 2 3 4 5
as flu and measles.
People who are important to me would approve of my taking
24. 1 2 3 4 5
dietary supplements.
I seldom gather information from others about dietary
25. 1 2 3 4 5
supplements.
Whether or not I purchase dietary supplements is entirely up
26. 1 2 3 4 5
to me.
It is useful to take dietary supplements.
27. 1 2 3 4 5
It is likely that I will purchase dietary supplements.
28. 1 2 3 4 5
I always want to look younger.
29. 1 2 3 4 5
I am familiar with preventing major chronic problems such as
30. 1 2 3 4 5
hypertension and diabetes.
Overall, I think that by taking dietary supplements would be
31. 1 2 3 4 5
beneficial.
I want to purchase dietary supplements.
32. 1 2 3 4 5
***End of Survey***
Thank you for your kind participation.
47

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FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION

OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS IN SIBU

Simon Kiew Sieng Hee

Corporate Master in Business Administration

SIMON KIEW SIENG HEE

This project is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

Faculty of Economics and Business

The work described in this Corporate Business Project, entitled

(Date Submitted) (Student’s Signature)

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my supervisor Associate Professor Dr.

corporate business project paper.

don’t think I can manage to complete this project paper.

FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION OF DIETARY

Simon Kiew Sieng Hee

FAKTOR MENPENGARUHI NIAT PENGGUNA DALAM PEMBELIAN

Simon Kiew Sieng Hee

kawasan Sibu khususnya dan Malaysia secara amnya.

Chapter Table Titles Page

Chapter Figures Titles Page

Appendix Titles Page

suffer from cancer every year (The Star Online, 2016a).

dietary supplement (Willis & Stafford, 2016).

1.2 Background of Study

Rising of health-consciousness within Malaysians had encouraged consumers to be

at the same time to maintain market competitiveness.

1.2.1 Definition of Dietary Supplement

reducing the risk of getting disease.

1.2.2 Marketing of Dietary Supplement in Malaysia

income, and living in urban area.

growth of this region.

significant globalization challenges and increasing competition, the high availability of DS

in the DS market in Malaysia.

disease, diabetes, stroke, neurological disorders, osteoporosis, macular degeneration,

supplements (MacWillian, 2015).

level (NHMS, 2015).

from their patients (Kennedy et al., 2013).

intended to answer three important research questions:

1) Do consumer characteristic variables such as health value and health knowledge

influence the purchase intention of DS products?

2) Are purchase intentions of DS products influenced by demographic variables

such as education level and gender influence?

purchase intention of DS products?

1.4.1 General Objective

1.4.2 Specific Objective

This study attempt to achieve the following objectives:

dietary supplement products.

of dietary supplement products.

3. To investigate whether educational level has a significant relationship on attitude and

purchase intention of dietary supplement products.

4. To discover the relationship between gender on attitude and purchase intention of

dietary supplement products.

5. To ascertain whether normative influence has a significant relationship on attitude and

purchase intention of dietary supplement products.

6. To examine whether informational influence has a significant relationship on attitude

and purchase intention of dietary supplement products.

on attitude and purchase intention of dietary supplement products.

1.5 Significance of the Study

taking DS can help in reduce and prevent chronic diseases.

information for manufacturers of DS to produce new or customize existing products to better

to increase their sales.

This research has been organized into five chapters.

Chapter 1 – Introduction: This chapter discusses an overview of research background.

research questions and objectives and significance of the study.

Factor's Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention of Dietary Supplement Product's in Sibu

Factor's Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention of Dietary Supplement Product's in Sibu