根據Nutrition Business Journal 的推估，全球機能性保健食品市場約有2,104 億美元的商機。鑒於上述保健食品的商機，本研究欲瞭解影響消費者購買保健食品的因素，期望透過本研究提供欲涉入保健產品市場的經營者瞭解哪些因素會影響消費者對保健產品的需求。問卷調查期間自2009年4月至2009年5月止，共計回收有效問卷340份。研究結果發現，受訪者對保健食品的需求中，有 21.5%的受訪民眾認為自己在現階段是非常需要或需要保健產品；38.8%的受訪民眾有或經常服用保健食品的經驗；受訪者對保健食品的需求以維他命居多占42.4%，其次是魚肝油占24.1%；受訪者使用保健食品的原因是為了調理身體、增強抵抗力占42.9%；另外，有40%受訪民眾將保健食品視為日常生活營養補充劑。關於受訪者健康促進行為對保健食品需求的影響，發現受訪者對健康責任與人際支持的重視程度會影響其目前自覺對健康食品的需求；受訪者對人際支持的重視程度會影響其在過去1 年內是否服用任何保健食品；受訪者對營養、健康責任與運動休閒的重視程度會影響其選購保健食品之種類，也會影響其對服用保健食品後，自身感覺對身體狀況產生助益的知覺。

According to the estimate of Nutrition Business Journal, the global market of functional health food is nearly 210.4 billion dollars. Because of the great opportunity, the study wants to explore the reasons and motives of consumers to buy health food, and expects to give some advice to whom want to join the market and let them could understand these reasons that why customers buy health food. The period of the survey was from April 2009 to May 2009, 340 valid questionnaires were collected. The results showed us as follows: 21.5% of people thought that they need the health food now. The percentage of that people had the experience of taking health food usually is 38.8%. The most popular health food that people need is vitamin (42.4%), and the second is cod-liver oil (24.1%). 42.9% of the interviewed people take the health food in order to strengthen themselves; and 40% of the interviewed people take the health food to be a kind of supplement. The findings of how health-promoting behavior influence demand of health food are as follows. If the interviewed people take health responsibility and relationship support more seriously, thus they will perceived more demand of health food. The degree of emphasis on relationship support will influence if them took any health food in the past one year. The degree of emphasis on nutrition, health responsibility and exercise and relax will affect the choices of health food. The degree of emphasis on nutrition, health responsibility, relationship support and exercise and relax will influence the perceived benefit after them taking the health food.