Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(5), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23050629 (registering DOI) - 9 May 2026
Abstract
Nutritional supplement use has emerged as an important health-related consumption behavior in digitalized environments, with implications for both public health and individual well-being. While prior research has largely focused on general populations, limited attention has been paid to how occupational pressures and digital
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Nutritional supplement use has emerged as an important health-related consumption behavior in digitalized environments, with implications for both public health and individual well-being. While prior research has largely focused on general populations, limited attention has been paid to how occupational pressures and digital information contexts jointly shape supplement-related decision-making among highly educated professionals. Addressing this gap, this study examines the behavioral determinants of nutritional supplement use among academics within an intention–behavior framework. Using survey data collected from academic professionals, the proposed model was tested through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that health motivation and academic work stress significantly predict supplement use intention, which, in turn, strongly influences actual consumption behavior. In contrast, digital health literacy and digital marketing exposure do not exert significant direct effects on usage intention. These results provide theoretical insight into the boundary conditions of informational determinants in consumer behavior models, suggesting that intrinsic motivation and contextual stressors may play a more dominant role than digital influences among highly educated consumers. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the importance of addressing stress-related health coping mechanisms and motivation-driven behaviors in promoting informed supplement use.
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