Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

This study investigated the importance of and satisfaction level with protein supplements among university students majoring in physical education. The importance and satisfaction perceived by the subjects were analyzed to be used as a basic set of data for improving the quality of protein supplements. Of a total of 536 students, those who took protein supplements were 228(42.5%). There were a total of 307 males (57.8%) and 224 females (42.2%). A significantly higher number of male students took protein supplements than female students (p<0.001) and those who did muscle exercise or had joined a health club had significantly higher numbers of protein supplement takers (p<0.001). In all categories excluding the three categories of ‘product advertisement and brand awareness’, ‘packaging design’, ‘form of product, e.g. pills, capsules or powder,’ the mean score for importance was significantly higher than that of satisfaction level (p<0.01, p<0.001). The analysis of importance-satisfaction showed that while importance was ranked high for ‘after-sales service’, ‘price and quantity’ and ‘portability’, satisfaction for these categories was low, indicating a need for improvement. The study findings show that when developing protein supplements, the focus should be on internal factors such as the efficacy and ingredients of the product and that after-sales service needs to be improved. Moreover, products and packaging that make it more convenient to carry the product and take them when necessary is also recommended to improve satisfaction level. Reasonable prices for products and ways to increase satisfaction with the efficacy of the product will also have to be considered.
Keywords: After-sales Service, Efficacy, Importance, Protein Supplement, Satisfaction