Consumers Analysis Towards Fish Consumption, and its Related Factors, Barriers of Consumption and Promotion Strategies using Social Marketing frame work among women in Yazd city in 2013

Abstract

Introduction: World Health Organization recommends fish consumption twice a week. The aim of this study was consumer analysis of fish consumption, its barriers and related factors using social marketing framework among women in Yazd city and identifying effective intervention measures for increasing fish consumption from the perspective of women in Yazd Methods: It is a qualitative study comprising four of the six steps of the social marketing framework including primarily planning, consumer analysis, 4 aspects of market analysis and channel analysis. After holding 3 FGDs with 36 housewives and 3 FGDs with 24 employed women from three organizations such as Education, Municipality, and Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences separately, their views, demands and preferences about fish consumption and its related factors, barriers and methods of its promotion were derived and categorized. Results: Housewives and employed women reported similar and sometimes different barriers for fish consumption. The barriers for non consumption were of the following: high price of fish, unpleasant taste of fish, having bone and goo, and dislike of fish by one of the family members. From the viewpoint of the employed women, being unfamiliar with cooking methods(promotion aspect), high price of fish, unpleasant taste of fish, having bone and goo, its favor, dislike of fish by one of the family members, and lack of time were reported as the most important barriers. Conclusion: People's views, demands and preferences about different issues and products such as health issues and healthy products are influenced by individual and environmental conditions including biologic condition and health level, cultural, social, political, economic and bio-environmental conditions which can be affected by time and by changing these conditions. Therefore, social marketing framework should emphasize on the need for a comprehensive and proper understanding of consumers of each product and categorize them by their differences in planning and implementing social marketing programs. Thus one can be certain that intervention programs reach more appropriate consumers and cause desired consumption behavior change