CONSUMER AWARENESS AND CONSUMPTION PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH PURCHASE INTENTIONS OF KIWIFRUIT IN THE TRICITY REGION: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Abstract

Background: Kiwifruit is a nutrient-dense functional food rich in vitamin C, dietary fibre, polyphenols, carotenoids, and actinidin. Despite increasing availability in Indian cities, consumer knowledge and habitual use remain uneven. Aims: To assess awareness, consumption patterns, and purchase intention regarding kiwifruit among adults in Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula, and to examine associations and demographic or regional differences in these domains. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire survey included a balanced sample of 384 income earning urban adults aged 20-49 years, with 128 participants from each city. The 40-question instrument covered demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, eight awareness statements, five consumption-pattern statements, sensory and market-barrier items, and six purchase-intention statements. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, one way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post-hoc tests, and independent-samples t-tests were applied. Results: The sample comprised 207 males (53.9%) and 177 females (46.1%); 359 respondents (93.5%) belonged to the upper or upper-middle socioeconomic classes. Mean awareness, consumption-pattern, and purchase-intention scores were 27.38 ± 6.82, 15.26 ± 4.84, and 21.15 ± 4.87, respectively. Awareness correlated with consumption pattern (r = 0.632, P < 0.001) and purchase intention (r = 0.705, P < 0.001); consumption pattern correlated with purchase intention (r = 0.514, P < 0.001). Age and gender differences were not significant. Scores differed significantly by city, with Panchkula recording the highest values in all three domains (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Awareness was closely associated with both habitual consumption and willingness to purchase kiwifruit. Region-specific nutrition communication, practical ripening and storage guidance, and strategies addressing price and availability may support wider acceptance.