Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe rapid growth in consumption of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) has intensified public health challenges related to obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases, prompting governments to adopt regulatory interventions such as fiscal measures, nutrition labeling, and marketing restrictions. However, the behavioral mechanisms through which public health policies translate into consumers’ intention to avoid HFSS foods remain insufficiently understood. This study aims to explain the psychobehavioral pathways linking public health policy to consumers’ intention to avoid HFSS foods by integrating policy awareness, institutional trust, psychological mediators, and habitual eating patterns. A cross-sectional survey of 300 Indonesian young consumers was analyzed using an advanced Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, incorporating mediation, moderation, and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). The results indicate that HFSS policy awareness significantly enhances perceived policy effectiveness (β = 0.257) and attitudes toward avoiding HFSS foods (β = 0.749). At the same time, trust in government strengthens perceived policy effectiveness and attitudes, particularly among consumers with entrenched food habits. Intention to avoid HFSS foods is primarily driven by perceived policy effectiveness (β = 0.564) and attitudes (β = 0.476), whereas health risk perception shows no direct effect. The model demonstrates strong explanatory power (R² for intention = 0.943). These findings suggest that effective HFSS policies operate not merely through risk communication but by strengthening policy credibility, institutional trust, and positive consumer attitudes, offering critical insights for designing behaviorally effective public health interventions.AcknowledgmentsThis research is funded by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and managed under the EQUITY Program (Contract No 8/IT2/T/HK.00.01/XI/2025 amp; No 3594/PKS/ITS/2025).
Nasution et al. (Wed,) studied this question.