Exploring the Effects of Product Knowledge, Trust, and Distrust in the Health Belief Model to Predict Attitude Toward Dietary Supplements

Abstract

Although the health belief model (HBM) has been widely applied in health behavior research, it cannot fully account for dietary supplement (DS) consumption. This study proposed a second-stage moderation model to empirically examine the mediating role of product knowledge and the moderating effects of trust and distrust in the HBM. Surveys were conducted both online and offline in first-tier Chinese cities; 768 effective samples were collected. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings indicated that perceived susceptibility was a better predictor of attitude toward DS products. Second, perceived susceptibility’s effect on product attitude occurred through product knowledge. Third, trust in manufacturers positively affected product knowledge’s effect on product attitude. Based on these findings, to promote DS consumption, marketers can leverage consumers’ perceived susceptibility to illness, associate the benefits and efficacy of DSs with consumers’ health knowledge, and emphasize their production of high-quality DSs.