The online survey took place between February 19 and 22 and was commissioned by Taiwan-based supplement company Daiken Biomedical which expanded into Japan in January this year with three products, namely omega-3, and products for supporting sleep and mobility.
The company said that it would strengthen its product development and information dissemination methods with findings of the survey as a reference.
The survey involved 1,000 individuals who said they had “consciously taken omega-3″ in the past year.
Most respondents (36 per cent) said that the composition and concentration of DHA and EPA, and the presence of additives was the most important consideration when buying omega-3 supplements.
Price and affordability was the next most common factor, with 27.4 per cent of respondents said that this would be their most important consideration when buying supplements.
A breakdown of the statistics also showed that nearly half of these respondents (48.9 per cent) were in their 20s and 30s.
“This indicates that almost half of the respondents who placed importance on price were younger, and the data also supports the idea that younger people in particular tend to place a stronger emphasis on price,” said the survey report.
Brand reputation came in third, with 16.1 per cent of the respondents seeing this as the most crucial point.
This was followed by the ease of consumption, including the size of the capsules, the frequency of consumption, with this being a top concern for 12 per cent of the respondent.
Only seven per cent was concerned about whether there would be fishy taste from the supplements.
Source of information
Over half (54.8 per cent) of the respondents had obtained information on omega-3 from the internet.
TV, magazines, and news were the next most popular option, with 48.7 per cent choosing these channels.
The product packaging and sales website ranked third (20.3 per cent), with word-of-mouth (18.5 per cent), and recommendation from doctors, pharmacists, and nutritionists (11.5 per cent) next.
Another 10.3 per cent said they had not done their own research on omega-3 before.
Analysing responses based on age groups, the survey suggested that the use of mass media such as TV, newspaper, and magazines will be able to reach a wider group of people instead.
“The internet was the most common way of gathering information for people in their 20s and 30s, but for those in their 40s and older, the percentage of people who chose the internet was roughly equal to the percentage of people who chose television, magazines, and newspapers.
“For those in their 60s and above, television, magazines, and newspapers were the most common way of gathering information.
“These results suggest that mass media, including TV, newspapers, and magazines, is an important way of gathering information, especially for middle-aged and elderly people, and that television programs and magazine articles about omega-3 are influential,” said the report.
Popular sources of omega-3
About three in four (74.5 per cent) respondents take in omega-3 from fish dishes such as mackerels, sardines, and salmon, which suggests a strong perception that omega-3 is equivalent to fish dishes, said Daiken Biomedical.
Edible oil was the next most common source of omega-3, with over half (54.5 per cent) said that they took in omega-3 from oils like flaxseeds and perilla seeds.
Slightly less than half (46.6 per cent) opted for dietary supplements for their omega-3 intake.
