AUTHOR=Zhao Liming , Yin Huilin , Cheng Xu , Li Xu 
  
TITLE=Health concerns, self-control, and low-calorie food purchasing behavior
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology
  
VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1803573
  
DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1803573
  
ISSN=1664-1078
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectivesThis study examines the relationships among health concerns, self-control, and consumers’ low-calorie food purchasing behavior.MethodsA total of 320 valid electronic questionnaires were collected from respondents across various regions in China. Factor analysis was employed to calculate the composite scores of the latent variables, which were subsequently used to test the proposed hypotheses.ResultsHealth concerns exerted a significant positive effect on self-control (β = 0.14, CR = 2.08, p < 0.05, 95% CI [0.01, 0.29]), while self-control demonstrated a strong positive influence on low-calorie food purchasing behavior (β = 0.55, CR = 16.84, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.43, 0.68]). However, the direct effect of health concern on purchasing behavior was not statistically significant (β = −0.04, CR = −1.02, p > 0.10, 95% CI [−0.18, 0.08]). Moreover, nutritional knowledge significantly and positively predicted self-control (β = 6.87, CR = 4.76, p < 0.001, 95% CI [3.95, 24.91]).ConclusionThis study integrates health concerns, self-control, nutritional knowledge, and low-calorie food purchasing behavior into a unified theoretical framework, thereby deepening the understanding of the mechanisms through which health concerns influence consumers’ low-calorie food purchasing behavior.