The influence of health conscious on tea consumption: A case study in Ilala Municipality-Tanzania

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background: </bold>In Tanzania, tea is an essential crop that contributes significantly to export revenue, employment opportunities, and income for farmers and other stakeholders, all of which are important to the nation's socioeconomic growth. The economics of Tanzania's tea sector is impacted by the industry's challenges, including low domestic consumption and a significant reliance on export markets. This study sought to investigate the impact of health-conscious tendencies on Tanzanians' tea-drinking habits. <bold>Methods:</bold> A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ilala, one of Tanzania's most urban centres. A total of 400 respondents were conveniently included in the sample. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the data, which was then analysed using descriptive statistics to determine how participants felt about drinking tea in relation to health issues. <bold>Results:</bold> The research found that only 20.4% of respondents drank tea for health benefits, indicating that most people were not aware of the benefits of this beverage. Conversely, the majority of the respondents believed that drinking tea was linked to health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, which made them prefer other drinks such as juice, soft drinks and herbal tea) over traditional tea (<italic>Camellia sinensis</italic>) due their perceived safety. <bold>Conclusions:</bold>The findings highlight the importance of understanding consumer preferences and behaviour in developing a successful marketing plan and the challenges faced by consumers so as to promote growth in the Tanzanian tea industry.