One of the foundational consumer health measures in marketing research, operationalising health consciousness as a multi-faceted dispositional orientation rather than a single attitude. Gould (1988) developed the HCS within a consumer behaviour framework, distinguishing it from earlier health psychology instruments (e.g., Health Locus of Control, Health Belief Model) by focusing on health consciousness as a consumer trait that shapes information search, product choice, and health-care utilisation. The differentiated structure acknowledges that consumers can be highly alert to health information (HA) without necessarily monitoring their own physical states (HSM), or may be highly motivated toward health (HM) without being chronically concerned about their health status (HSC). The HCS predicts: health information search intensity, frequency of preventive health behaviours, preference for health-claim advertising, willingness to pay premium for health-positioned products, and health-food and supplement purchase behaviour. In food marketing research, HCS is a primary segmentation variable distinguishing health-oriented from convenience-oriented consumers. HA and HM are particularly predictive of positive responses to health-positioned advertising; HSC is associated with risk-information processing and symptom-focused behaviour.
Gould, S.J. (1988). Consumer attitudes toward health and health care: A differential perspective. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 22(1), 96–118.
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