Effects of Promotional Activities on Consumer Behavioral Intentions to Healthy Lifestyle: An Experimental Study

Consumers’ cognitive beliefs and mental stereotypes are of the most important factors influencing decision-making process and behavioral intentions regarding a healthy lifestyle. The present study investigated the consumers’ cognitive patterns regarding drugs and dietary supplements and also examined the effects of drug and supplement marketing on behavioral intentions to a healthy lifestyle. This research was an experimental study and was designed in four separate studies using independent tests and factor analysis. Each study had an independent sample. A total of 400 items were sampled for the whole study. The required data were collected using a scenario-based questionnaire. The findings of the first study showed that drugs will reduce intentions to engage in healthy lifestyle practices (i.e., a boomerang effect). These findings also revealed that the type of remedy (drug and supplement) and the remedy’s effectiveness can moderate the boomerang effect. In addition, Findings of the second, third and fourth studies revealed that boomerang effect is the result of two psychological mechanisms. First drugs reduced risk perception and the motivation to engage in complementary health-protective behaviors. Second, Consumers by default associate the drugs with weaknesses and disabilities in the body's natural ability, so the drugs reduce the perception of self-efficacy and natural ability and the tendency for healthy behaviors. These findings were not observed with regard to dietary supplements.