Are Malaysians Aware? The Consumer Awareness on Harmful Chemicals in Household Products
Abstract
Detergents, cosmetics, and food are just a few examples of everyday products and household items that include chemicals. Chemical-free items are difficult to produce since chemicals are necessary for some performances. Despite emphasising their uses, it cannot be denied that chemicals negatively impact human health and the environment. However, because chemicals are a part of our daily lives, we become so accustomed to them that we often disregard and forget about their negative effects. This study will examine consumer knowledge of dangerous chemical items. In this research, the factors that influence health awareness will be discussed. The study will examine two factors affecting the consumers' awareness: The information factor and the personal factor. The information factor includes commercial sources, neutral sources, and social sources. The personal factors are interest in health information and attitudes toward harmful chemicals. The research was done by collecting feedback from 187 youth aged 18 to 40 in Malaysia who are now managing a household. An online questionnaire with a 5-Likert rating scale is used to collect the data. The result of the study indicated that neutral sources, social sources, interests and attitudes will affect the consumer awareness of the harmful household chemical. On the other hand, commercial sources will not affect youth awareness of harmful household chemical products. This study can understand Malaysians’ awareness level towards harmful chemicals and thus find effective ways to increase the awareness among Malaysians.
References
Ahadzadeh, A. S., & Sharif, S. P. (2017). Online health information seeking among Malaysian women: Technolofy acceptance model perspective. The Journal of the South East Asia Research Centre for Communications and Humanities, 9(1), 47-70.
Al Mamun, A., Che Nawi, N. B., Nasir, N. A., & Fazal, S. A. (2020). Social media and consumer engagement: The case of Malaysian Student Entreprenuers. Journal of Asia Pacific Business, 1-22.
Anker, A. E., Reinhart, A. M., & Feeley, T. H. (2011). Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods. Patient education and counseling, 82(3), 346-354.
Arshad, F. M., Mohamed, Z., & Latiff, I. A. (2006). Changes in agri-food supply change in Malaysia: Implications on marketing trend needs. FAO/AFMA/FAMA Regional Workshop on Agricultural Marketing Training.
Bhatia, P. S. (2018). Use of mass media for health promotion: An interview-based study. International Journal of Yogic, Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 3(2), 985-987.
Bhatia, P. S. (2018). Use of mass media for health promotion: An Interview Based Study. International Journal of Yogic, Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 3(2), 985-987
Buchmüller, K., Bearth, A., & Siegrist, M. (2020). Consumers’ perceptions of chemical household products and the associated risks. Food and chemical toxicology, 143, 111511.
Celletti, F., Reynolds, T. A., Wright, A., & Stoertz, A. (2011). Educating a new generation of doctors to improve the health of populations in low- and middle- income countries. PLoS Medicine, 8(10).
Chalil, M. (2022). Subang Jaya entrepreneur on mission to make affordable yet effective eco-friendly cleaning products for Malaysians. Yahoo news. https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/subang-jaya-entrepreneur-mission-affordable-073839556.html
Chartrand, T. L. (2005). The role of conscious awareness in consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15(3), 203-210.
Churchill Jr, G. A. (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of marketing research, 16(1), 64-73.
Chung, K. L., Morshidi, I., Yoong, L. C., & Thian , K. N. (2019). The role of the dark tetrad and impulsivity in social media addiction: Findings from Malaysia. Personality and Individual Differences, 143, 62-67.
Cunningham, V. (23 January, 2014). 10 toxic beauty products ingredients to avoid. Retrieved from Huffpost: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dangerous-beauty-products_b_4168587. Assess on January 2022.
Cusumano, D. L., & Thompson, J. K. (2001). Media influence and body image in 8–11‐year old boys and girls: A preliminary report on the multidimensional media influence scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29(1), 37-44.
Department of Statistic Malaysia (2021). ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report. Available from: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=395&bul_id=bCs4UlNSQktybTR3THZ3a0RzV2RkUT09&menu_id=amVoWU54UTl0a21NWmdhMjFMMWcyZz09#:~:text=ICT%20USE%20BY%20INDIVIDUALS&text=Internet%20usage%20by%20individuals%20in,98.2%20per%20cent%20in%202020. Assess on January 2022.
Dourish, P., & Bly, S. (1992). Portholes: Supporting awareness in a distributed work group. Proceedings of ACM CHI 1992, 541-547.
Encarnação, T., Pais, A. A., Campos, M. G., & Burrows, H. D. (2019). Endocrine disrupting chemicals: Impact on human health, wildlife and the environment. Science progress, 102(1), 3-42.
Flay, B. R. (1987). Evaluation of development, dissemination and effectiveness of mass media health programming. Health Education Research, 2(2). doi:10.1093/her/2.2.123
Grunert, K. G., Fernandez-Celemin, L., Wills, J. M., Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann, S., & Nureeva, L. (2010). Use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels in six European countries. Journal of Public Health, 18, 261-277.
Hartmann, S., & Klaschka, U. (2017). Interested consumer's awareness of harmful chemicals in everyday products. Environmental Sciences Europe, 29, 29.
Hieke, S., Pieniak, Z., & Verbeke, W. (2018). European consumers' interest in nutrition information on (sugar-free) chewing gum. Food Quality and Preference, 64, 172-180.
Institute for Public Health 2020. (2019). National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019: Non-communicable diseases, healthcare demand, and health literacy- Key Findings. Retrieved from iku: http://iku.moh.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2019/Infographic_Bookl et_NHMS_2019-English.pdf
Jaafar, N. I., Ainin, S., & Yeong, M. W. (2017). Why bother about health? A study on the factors that influence health information seeking behaviour among Malaysian healthcare consumers. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 104, 38-44.
Jiang, S., & Street, R. L. (2016). Pathway linking internet health information seeking to better health: A moderated mediation study. Health Communication, 32(8), 1024-1031.
Kahn, E., Ramsey, L., Brownson, R., Heath, G., Howze, E., Powell, K., & Corso, P. (2002). The effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity: A systematic review 1, 2. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22(4), 73-107. doi:10.1016/s0749
Keery, H., Shroff, H., Thompson, J. K., Wertheim, E., & Smolak, L. (2004). The Sociocultural Internalization of Appearance Questionnaire—Adolescents (SIAQ-A): Psychometric analysis and normative data for three countries. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 9(1), 56-61.
Kwon, S. A., Yoo, H. J., & Song, E. (2020). Korean consumers’ recognition of risks depending on the provision of safety information for chemical products. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1207.
Lin, Y., Yang, S., Hanifah, H., & Iqbal, Q. (2018). An exploratory study of consumer attitudes toward green cosmetics in the UK market. Administrative Sciences, 8(4), 71.
Luca, F.A., Ciobanu, C.I., Andrei, A. G., & Horodnic, A. V. (2018). Raising awareness on health impact of the chemicals used in consumer products: Empirical evidence from East Central Europe. Sustainability, 10(1), 209.
Mangleburg, T. F., Doney, P. M., & Bristol, T. (2004). Shopping with friends and teens’ susceptibility to peer influence. Journal of retailing, 80(2), 101-116.
Madhavan, S., Bullis, E., Myers, R., Zhou, C. J., Cai, E. M., Sharma, A., ... & Haga, S. B. (2019). Awareness of family health history in a predominantly young adult population. PloS one, 14(10), e0224283.
Mintel. (2009). Consumer attitudes toward beauty product ingredients UK May 2009. Retrieved from Mintel Oxygen: http://academic.mintel.com/display/456599/
Quah, S. H., & Tan, A. K. (2010). Consumer purchase decision of organic food products: An ethnic analysis. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 22(1), 47 58.
Roininen, K., & Tuorila, H. (1999). Health and taste attitudes in the prediction of use frequency and choice between less healthy and more healthy snacks. Food Quality and Preference, 10(4-5), 357-365.
Shaharudin, M. R., Pani, J. J., Mansor, S. W., & Elias, S. J. (2010). Factors affecting purchase intention of organic food in Malaysia's Kedah state. Cross- cultural Communication, 6(2), 105-116.
Slovic, P., Malmfors, T., Mertz, C. K., Neil, N., & Purchase, I. F. (1997). Evaluating chemical risks: results of a survey of the British Toxicology Society. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 16(6), 289-304.
Suganya, D., and Kavitha, S. 2017. A Study on Consumer Awareness Towards Eco Friendly Products At Coimbatore. International Journal of Current Research and Modern Education (IJCRME). 2(1), 237-241. Institute of Management, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. Available at http://ijcrme.rdmodernresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/184.pdf. Accessed on June 2021
Sonnenberg, L., Gelsomin, E., Levy, D. E., Riis, J., Barraclough, S., & Thorndike, A. N. (2013). A traffic light food labeling intervention increases consumer awareness of health and healthy choices at the point-of-purchase. Preventive Medicine, 57(4), 253-257.
Stone, George, Barnes, J. H., & Montgomery, C. (1995). Ecoscale: A scale for the measurement of environmentally responsible consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 12, 595-612.
Suglia, S. F., Shelton, R. C., Hsiao, A., Wang, Y. C., Rundle, A., & Link, B. G. (2016). Why the neighborhood social environment is critical in obesity prevention. Journal of Urban Health, 93(1), 206-212.
Syeda, S. R., Khan, E. A., Padungwatanaroj, O., Kuprasertwong, N., & Tula, A. K. (2022). A perspective on hazardous chemical substitution in consumer products. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 36, 100748.
The Star (2020). 14,000 estimated to have died from humidifier sanitiser scandal in S. Korea. Retrieved on 1 June 2022, from: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/07/27/14000-estima ted-to-have-dies-from-humidifier-sanitiser-scandal-in-s-korea#:~:text=S.,-Korea %20trucker%20strike&text=SEOUL%2C%20July%2027%20(Bernama)%3A,quoted%20a%20study%20released%20Monday.
van Dillen, S. M., Hiddink, G. J., Koelen, M. A., de Graaf, C., & van Woerkum, C. M. (2003). Understanding nutrition communication between health professionals and consumers: Development of a model for nutrition awareness based on qualitative consumer research. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77(4), 1065S-1072S.
Wier, M., & Calverley, C. (2002). Market potential for organic foods in Europe. British Food Journal, 104(1), 45-62.
Yen, I. H., & Syme, S. L. (1999). The social environment and health: a discussion of the epidemiologic literature. Annual Review of Public Health, 20(1), 287-308
Al Mamun, A., Che Nawi, N. B., Nasir, N. A., & Fazal, S. A. (2020). Social media and consumer engagement: The case of Malaysian Student Entreprenuers. Journal of Asia Pacific Business, 1-22.
Anker, A. E., Reinhart, A. M., & Feeley, T. H. (2011). Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods. Patient education and counseling, 82(3), 346-354.
Arshad, F. M., Mohamed, Z., & Latiff, I. A. (2006). Changes in agri-food supply change in Malaysia: Implications on marketing trend needs. FAO/AFMA/FAMA Regional Workshop on Agricultural Marketing Training.
Bhatia, P. S. (2018). Use of mass media for health promotion: An interview-based study. International Journal of Yogic, Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 3(2), 985-987.
Bhatia, P. S. (2018). Use of mass media for health promotion: An Interview Based Study. International Journal of Yogic, Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 3(2), 985-987
Buchmüller, K., Bearth, A., & Siegrist, M. (2020). Consumers’ perceptions of chemical household products and the associated risks. Food and chemical toxicology, 143, 111511.
Celletti, F., Reynolds, T. A., Wright, A., & Stoertz, A. (2011). Educating a new generation of doctors to improve the health of populations in low- and middle- income countries. PLoS Medicine, 8(10).
Chalil, M. (2022). Subang Jaya entrepreneur on mission to make affordable yet effective eco-friendly cleaning products for Malaysians. Yahoo news. https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/subang-jaya-entrepreneur-mission-affordable-073839556.html
Chartrand, T. L. (2005). The role of conscious awareness in consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15(3), 203-210.
Churchill Jr, G. A. (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of marketing research, 16(1), 64-73.
Chung, K. L., Morshidi, I., Yoong, L. C., & Thian , K. N. (2019). The role of the dark tetrad and impulsivity in social media addiction: Findings from Malaysia. Personality and Individual Differences, 143, 62-67.
Cunningham, V. (23 January, 2014). 10 toxic beauty products ingredients to avoid. Retrieved from Huffpost: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dangerous-beauty-products_b_4168587. Assess on January 2022.
Cusumano, D. L., & Thompson, J. K. (2001). Media influence and body image in 8–11‐year old boys and girls: A preliminary report on the multidimensional media influence scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29(1), 37-44.
Department of Statistic Malaysia (2021). ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report. Available from: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=395&bul_id=bCs4UlNSQktybTR3THZ3a0RzV2RkUT09&menu_id=amVoWU54UTl0a21NWmdhMjFMMWcyZz09#:~:text=ICT%20USE%20BY%20INDIVIDUALS&text=Internet%20usage%20by%20individuals%20in,98.2%20per%20cent%20in%202020. Assess on January 2022.
Dourish, P., & Bly, S. (1992). Portholes: Supporting awareness in a distributed work group. Proceedings of ACM CHI 1992, 541-547.
Encarnação, T., Pais, A. A., Campos, M. G., & Burrows, H. D. (2019). Endocrine disrupting chemicals: Impact on human health, wildlife and the environment. Science progress, 102(1), 3-42.
Flay, B. R. (1987). Evaluation of development, dissemination and effectiveness of mass media health programming. Health Education Research, 2(2). doi:10.1093/her/2.2.123
Grunert, K. G., Fernandez-Celemin, L., Wills, J. M., Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann, S., & Nureeva, L. (2010). Use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels in six European countries. Journal of Public Health, 18, 261-277.
Hartmann, S., & Klaschka, U. (2017). Interested consumer's awareness of harmful chemicals in everyday products. Environmental Sciences Europe, 29, 29.
Hieke, S., Pieniak, Z., & Verbeke, W. (2018). European consumers' interest in nutrition information on (sugar-free) chewing gum. Food Quality and Preference, 64, 172-180.
Institute for Public Health 2020. (2019). National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019: Non-communicable diseases, healthcare demand, and health literacy- Key Findings. Retrieved from iku: http://iku.moh.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2019/Infographic_Bookl et_NHMS_2019-English.pdf
Jaafar, N. I., Ainin, S., & Yeong, M. W. (2017). Why bother about health? A study on the factors that influence health information seeking behaviour among Malaysian healthcare consumers. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 104, 38-44.
Jiang, S., & Street, R. L. (2016). Pathway linking internet health information seeking to better health: A moderated mediation study. Health Communication, 32(8), 1024-1031.
Kahn, E., Ramsey, L., Brownson, R., Heath, G., Howze, E., Powell, K., & Corso, P. (2002). The effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity: A systematic review 1, 2. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22(4), 73-107. doi:10.1016/s0749
Keery, H., Shroff, H., Thompson, J. K., Wertheim, E., & Smolak, L. (2004). The Sociocultural Internalization of Appearance Questionnaire—Adolescents (SIAQ-A): Psychometric analysis and normative data for three countries. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 9(1), 56-61.
Kwon, S. A., Yoo, H. J., & Song, E. (2020). Korean consumers’ recognition of risks depending on the provision of safety information for chemical products. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1207.
Lin, Y., Yang, S., Hanifah, H., & Iqbal, Q. (2018). An exploratory study of consumer attitudes toward green cosmetics in the UK market. Administrative Sciences, 8(4), 71.
Luca, F.A., Ciobanu, C.I., Andrei, A. G., & Horodnic, A. V. (2018). Raising awareness on health impact of the chemicals used in consumer products: Empirical evidence from East Central Europe. Sustainability, 10(1), 209.
Mangleburg, T. F., Doney, P. M., & Bristol, T. (2004). Shopping with friends and teens’ susceptibility to peer influence. Journal of retailing, 80(2), 101-116.
Madhavan, S., Bullis, E., Myers, R., Zhou, C. J., Cai, E. M., Sharma, A., ... & Haga, S. B. (2019). Awareness of family health history in a predominantly young adult population. PloS one, 14(10), e0224283.
Mintel. (2009). Consumer attitudes toward beauty product ingredients UK May 2009. Retrieved from Mintel Oxygen: http://academic.mintel.com/display/456599/
Quah, S. H., & Tan, A. K. (2010). Consumer purchase decision of organic food products: An ethnic analysis. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 22(1), 47 58.
Roininen, K., & Tuorila, H. (1999). Health and taste attitudes in the prediction of use frequency and choice between less healthy and more healthy snacks. Food Quality and Preference, 10(4-5), 357-365.
Shaharudin, M. R., Pani, J. J., Mansor, S. W., & Elias, S. J. (2010). Factors affecting purchase intention of organic food in Malaysia's Kedah state. Cross- cultural Communication, 6(2), 105-116.
Slovic, P., Malmfors, T., Mertz, C. K., Neil, N., & Purchase, I. F. (1997). Evaluating chemical risks: results of a survey of the British Toxicology Society. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 16(6), 289-304.
Suganya, D., and Kavitha, S. 2017. A Study on Consumer Awareness Towards Eco Friendly Products At Coimbatore. International Journal of Current Research and Modern Education (IJCRME). 2(1), 237-241. Institute of Management, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. Available at http://ijcrme.rdmodernresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/184.pdf. Accessed on June 2021
Sonnenberg, L., Gelsomin, E., Levy, D. E., Riis, J., Barraclough, S., & Thorndike, A. N. (2013). A traffic light food labeling intervention increases consumer awareness of health and healthy choices at the point-of-purchase. Preventive Medicine, 57(4), 253-257.
Stone, George, Barnes, J. H., & Montgomery, C. (1995). Ecoscale: A scale for the measurement of environmentally responsible consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 12, 595-612.
Suglia, S. F., Shelton, R. C., Hsiao, A., Wang, Y. C., Rundle, A., & Link, B. G. (2016). Why the neighborhood social environment is critical in obesity prevention. Journal of Urban Health, 93(1), 206-212.
Syeda, S. R., Khan, E. A., Padungwatanaroj, O., Kuprasertwong, N., & Tula, A. K. (2022). A perspective on hazardous chemical substitution in consumer products. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 36, 100748.
The Star (2020). 14,000 estimated to have died from humidifier sanitiser scandal in S. Korea. Retrieved on 1 June 2022, from: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/07/27/14000-estima ted-to-have-dies-from-humidifier-sanitiser-scandal-in-s-korea#:~:text=S.,-Korea %20trucker%20strike&text=SEOUL%2C%20July%2027%20(Bernama)%3A,quoted%20a%20study%20released%20Monday.
van Dillen, S. M., Hiddink, G. J., Koelen, M. A., de Graaf, C., & van Woerkum, C. M. (2003). Understanding nutrition communication between health professionals and consumers: Development of a model for nutrition awareness based on qualitative consumer research. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77(4), 1065S-1072S.
Wier, M., & Calverley, C. (2002). Market potential for organic foods in Europe. British Food Journal, 104(1), 45-62.
Yen, I. H., & Syme, S. L. (1999). The social environment and health: a discussion of the epidemiologic literature. Annual Review of Public Health, 20(1), 287-308
Published
2023-03-31
How to Cite
LIM, Ying San,; NG, Tuan Hock,; CHONG, Wei Ni,.
Are Malaysians Aware? The Consumer Awareness on Harmful Chemicals in Household Products.
International Journal of Business and Technology Management, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 1, p. 224-237, mar. 2023.
ISSN 2682-7646.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijbtm/article/view/21945>. Date accessed: 05 dec. 2024.
Section
Articles
