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Purchasing Patterns of Prescription (Rx), over the Counter (OTC) Medicines and Food Supplements among Hungarian Consumers
23-34Views:118Over-the-Counter (OTC) medicines and food supplements plays an important role in healthcare. It is generally accepted that, when used properly, OTC medicines save consumers time and money. In this paper we looked into the purchasing behavior of the Hungarian population regarding OTC drugs and food supplements, highlighting the significance of self-medication. Using a quantitative online survey in March 2022 with a national representative sample, the research aimed to measure the out-of-pocket health expenditures, focusing on OTC drugs and food supplements. The analysis showed that the population spends more money on OTC drugs and food supplements than the co-payment of prescription (Rx) drugs, and the combined expenditures on OTC drugs and food supplements significantly contribute to the household's total healthcare costs, representing 45% of this budget. Three hypotheses were formulated to investigate the relationships between the spending on Rx medications, OTC drugs, food supplements, and various demographic factors. The analysis showed significant correlations, indicating that as expenditures on Rx medications increase, so do the purchases of OTC drugs and food supplements. Demographic analysis indicated that the younger demographic age group (18-35 years) tends to spend the least on both Rx, OTC drugs and food supplements, while the 36-50 age group exhibits the highest expenditure on food supplements. However, no significant difference in OTC drug purchases was found among those older than 36 years. The study raises further questions regarding the purchasing behavior of chronic patients, the differentiation between OTC drugs and food supplements by consumers, the influence of minors in the household on purchasing decisions, and whether the primary target demographic for these products should be expanded beyond the 35-50 aged women as it is defined nowadays.
JEL Codes: I11, I12, M31 -
Specific Features of Health Awareness for 11-17-Year-Old Hungarian Students After the Millennium Based on Hbsc Research Data – Literature Review
33-44Views:738The aim of this study is to present the health behaviour of 11-17-year-old Hungarian students. In connection with this topic we analyzed international and Hungarian articles based on primer researches and the results of a Hungarian survey as part of an international research, namely „The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children” (HBSC). The aim of the research is to monitor health related habits and health status of 11-17-year-old students, to track temporal and international trends of survey results, and to explore factors influencing health indicators. In this study we present the results of health promoting (nutrition, physical activity) and health compromising behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption) and their characteristic changes based on five recent surveys (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). During this study, we made a document analysis based on the previous Hungarian research results. The results showed a prosperous scheme, which predicts a slow but steady positive change, however there is still a long way to go. The biggest problem in the way of life of these children is the lack of conscious behaviour. Most of these children are not aware of the consequences of their lifestyle on their health.
JEL Codes: I12 -
Research of Risk Reductive Behaviours Related to Food Products
63-77Views:101This topic will always be actual, since most of the companies crave to understand the
behaviour of their consumers in Hungary – what kind of patterns of behaviour they have, and how companies can influence consumer behaviour without high expenses, considering the most effective methods. As we know, consumer behaviour should be researched on the level of a specific product or service in the short term, or as a brand versus personal preference.
Nowadays, the role of health-awareness and cost-consciousness is getting misrated, alongside with environmental protection and the awareness of hazardous substances. Based on our idea, the background of our research assumes awareness of the contents of food, and the investigation of labels or titles. The organic labels on food have a high priority role in Hungary. In our opinion, the trust contains the following factors: (1) There are control authorities who are reliable, and guarantee the high quality of products for the consumers (for example: Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection, or other food and chemical industrial laboratories). (2) Food processing facilities are accredited, recorded, and given a certificate (for example: certificate of organic production, etc.) (3) Purchasing is straight from the source. (4) Purchase is on the basis of information technology. These factors are the underlying cause of the change in behaviour resulting from risk reduction awareness. The article focuses on the food consumption behaviour analysis of Hungary’s population. The analyzed database was queried from IPSOS Ltd. (N=1 038 people) but we will select 883 people, based on inclusive criteria (aged between 18 and 70) and exclude people with extreme incomes (due to being outliers). In order to indroduce the topic, we will start our research with a short literary introspection. Before the analysis of the database, we presume consumers have a kind of set awareness that is shaped by buying their daily food and products. In this research, we will prove this assumption.JEL code: D12
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Parental Health Conciousness and Examination of Eating Preferences in Reflection of Childhood Obesity
27-38Views:563One of the 21st century’s well-known megatrend is the healthy lifestyle and eating which is the basis of this research. We have already known some aspects of this topic, but the parental health consciousness and the examination of eating preferences is not as well known as it has to be, so this makes this study relevant. The goal of this exploratory research was to get to know more about the parental health consciousness, their eating preferences and attitudes, so Hungarian parents were asked who have children under 14 years old to tell more about their habits and lifestyle. In the primer research an online questionnaire was used which reaches 206 people so we could make some consequences about the lifestyle and the preferences of the families in Hungary. The main parts of this research were: the importance of health and the healthy lifestyle, the form of the parental research about the topic, which sources they find the most relevant and authentic, the parental eating habits, family health, the responsibility of the parents. During the statistical analysis some segments of people could be separated whose different attitudes and preferences were shown very clearly. It reveals of the results for example that the groups have different eating habits and researching systems.
JEL Codes: I12, M31
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Analyzing Consumer Attitudes Towards Health-protecting Food
39-55Views:463The main goal of our research was to analyze the role of health-protecting food in our daily nutrition. In our secondary research, we analyzed the generalities and characteristics of health and health behavior with the help of relevant domestic and foreign literature. We analyzed the domestic tendencies of health in details. We examined the most important characteristics of functional foods and investigated the factors of personalized nutrition. Based on a literature review, in our primary research we conducted an online questionnaire survey with 231 respondents. Our survey cannot be considered representative, however, the proportion of genders in our sample population is almost the same as the Hungarian population’s. In the questionnaire survey, we examined the frequency of consumption of health-protecting food. After that, we analyzed respondents’ perceptions of the actual health effects of health-protecting food. We have measured consumer attitudes towards health-protecting food. We analyzed the perception of potential health risks and problems from the consumer perspective. We measured the impact of various health factors on shopping. Besides, we have explored our intention to participate in personalized nutrition-related programs. Based on our research, most of the analyzed health-protecting food is consumed once or twice a week. It can be stated that the respondents considered the examined food categories less scientifically proven. We could identify the preventive behaviors of respondents for various health problems. However, there is also uncertainty in the decision of respondents in what is the right way to prevent the diseases. In this uncertain situation, only experts can provide real help to them.
JEL Classification: Q16, Q12, Q13, O32
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Analysis of University Students’ Behavior Towards Online Grocery Shopping Based on the TAM-Model
3-19Views:435These days new, alternative forms of sales such as parcel delivery, direct sales, telephone and the internet are playing an increasingly important role in commerce. Relevant literature and statistics prove the success of e-commerce at national and international levels. Our aim is to identify a segment of online sales where this performance is still modest. Online grocery shopping has not been integrated into consumer’s life so far compare to other market-leading product categories (clothing, footwear). During the secondary research, we conducted extensive literature analysis using national and international sources. In the course of primary research, a questionnaire survey was conducted as a quantitative procedure. 501 students were involved from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen in this non-representative survey, in which we sought to reach as many cultures and nations as possible. Our main goal was to answer the question of the factors behind the development of online consumer preferences in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) product category. For this the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied in the primary research. The Likert scale was applied to assess the students’ position on the topic. The 18 statements underlying the analysis were adapted from the researches of Radka and Martin (2018). After the reliability test, a factor analysis was made. The variables were compressed into three factors. Because of the better understanding, the exploratory factor analysis and the data reduction were separated. Principal component analysis was made on the statements belonging to each factor. Subsequently, a cluster analysis of four was conducted or four clusters for Hungarian and foreign students. The hypothesis about the attitude towards buying food online among the FMCG products is more reserved for Hungarian students than for foreign students has been proved.
JEL Classification: M31, Q13
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Complex Analysis and Introduction of the Hungarian Mineral Water Industry
65-80Views:369The mineral water sector in Hungary has been developing dynamically for four decades. The present article explores the main characteristics of the sector and highlights its specificities within the food industry. The aim of the study is to identify the main characteristics of the market, analyze the macro and micro environment, determine the economic importance of the sector, analysis of the main players and strategic options. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that there are approximately 500 Hungarian companies whose activities include producing soft drinks and mineral waters under the TEÁOR 1107. However, there are only 10 of these companies whose main activity is exclusively producing mineral water, which is extracted and bottled in Hungary. The macro-environment analysis shows that the political environment is stable, the economic environment is not conducive to business, and high inflation, continuously rising labor costs, and raw material costs will continue to challenge businesses. However, SME support can provide significant help in the future. Among consumer habits, the growing health and environmental awareness significantly impact the sector. Rapid developments in technological factors offer many opportunities for businesses. Based on the microenvironment analysis, the market is saturated, and Szentkirályi Magyarország Kft. and Magyarvíz Ásványvíz Kft. hold almost 80% of the total industry turnover in 2021. The threat of new entrants is, therefore, not significant. The bargaining power of buyers and the threat of substitutes is high, and the bargaining power of suppliers is low. While compiling the competitive profile matrix, industry success factors were identified, with price level, brand, and environmental responsibility standing out. The biggest challenge in the sector is to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, using recycled plastic bottles as the easiest solution.
JEL Code: M21 -
Investigation of Healthy Nutrition in Post-Adolescents Complemented with a Sociological Aspects
45-58Views:428In our rapidly evolving world, a healthy lifestyle has got more and more attention. The prevention and gradual development can never be begun early enough. In our research, we examined the healthy, moderate eating habits of post-adolescents complemented with sociological aspects. We performed primary and secondary data collection. We used methods like descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. In terms of sociologic factors, we examined some dimensions of detachment, which confirmed that university citizens are one group of post-adolescents. The healthy eating habits were analysed by food groups and social factors. During the cluster analysis, we separated 5 clusters and evaluated them by the factors. Based on the factor and cluster analyses, we found that university students consider healthy eating to be an important social value.
JEL Codes: A13, I12