Relationships between lifestyle of health and sustainability and healthy food choices for seniors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the structural relationships among lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS), healthy food choices, trust, and emotional loyalty and the moderating role of age between seniors and non-seniors in restaurants. Design/methodology/approach – Partial least squares (PLS)-graph software (version 3.0) was used to analyze the measurements and structural models. The authors employed a PLS regression analysis for both the formative and reflective constructs in the empirical test of the research model. Findings – The study revealed that the senior market segment differs from the non-senior market segment in the following ways: the magnitude of impact of LOHAS on healthy food choices is much stronger for senior diners than for non-senior diners and the impact of LOHAS on trust and emotional loyalty is greater for seniors than non-seniors. Research limitations/implications – The results of this study can guide the restaurant industry in its research on the implications of LOHAS for seniors. Practical implications – Restaurant marketers should develop different strategies for the senior and non-senior market segments, and they need to focus on target segments rather than attempting to appeal to the market as a whole. Originality/value – This paper assists researchers and practitioners by shedding light on the differences among LOHAS, healthy food choices, trust, and emotional loyalty between senior and non-senior diners.