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Racial Disparities in Cleanliness Attitudes Mediate Purchasing Attitudes Toward Cleaning Products: a Serial Mediation
Leib Litman1,2, Monnica T Williams3, Zohn Rosen4
1Department of Psychology, Lander College, 75-31 150th Street, Flushing, NY, 11367, USA. leib.litman@touro.edu.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
|September 24, 2017
Summary
African Americans show greater cleanliness concerns for kitchen items and increased willingness to buy cleaning products compared to European Americans. General cleanliness concerns mediate this purchasing behavior, highlighting racial disparities in hygiene attitudes.
Area of Science:
- Consumer Psychology
- Public Health
- Racial Disparities Research
Background:
- Kitchen items, such as sponges, can act as vectors for disease-causing pathogens.
- Understanding racial differences in cleanliness concerns is crucial for targeted public health interventions.
- Previous research has not fully explored the link between racial groups, cleanliness attitudes, and purchasing behavior for cleaning products.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in cleanliness concerns regarding disease-vector kitchen items between African Americans and European Americans.
- To determine if disparities in cleanliness attitudes influence purchasing intentions for kitchen cleaning products.
- To explore the mediating role of general cleanliness concerns in these observed racial differences.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 500 participants (50% African American, 50% European American).
- Participants viewed an image of a sponge cleaning product and completed surveys on cleanliness attitudes.
- Serial mediation analysis was employed to examine the relationships between race, cleanliness concerns, and purchasing attitudes.
Main Results:
- African Americans reported significantly greater concern for the cleanliness of kitchen items compared to European Americans (d = 0.46).
- African Americans demonstrated a higher willingness to purchase cleaning products (17%) than European Americans (10%).
- General cleanliness concerns were found to mediate the increased willingness to purchase cleaning products among African Americans.
Conclusions:
- African Americans exhibit heightened sensitivity to cleanliness issues, particularly concerning kitchen items that can harbor pathogens.
- These findings suggest significant racial disparities in cleanliness attitudes and their impact on consumer behavior towards cleaning products.
- The results have implications for public health messaging and product marketing strategies aimed at diverse populations.
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