Post-pandemic awareness of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and risks such as sick building syndrome (SBS) has intensified demand for healthy housing, yet the psychological mechanisms converting building health features into purchase intentions remain underexplored. This study extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to evaluate how health consciousness and perceived utilitarian and hedonic values channel dual attitudes (instrumental and affective) into purchase intentions.
Of 447 questionnaires distributed to Taiwanese consumers, 334 valid responses were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with bias-corrected bootstrapping (1,000 resamples) testing the mediating pathways.
Health consciousness significantly strengthens both instrumental and affective attitudes, and the model explains 52.5% of intention variance. Adoption is driven almost exclusively by a rational pathway: intention is predicted by utilitarian value, perceived behavioral control, instrumental attitude, and subjective norms, with utilitarian value mediating the instrumental attitude–intention link. The affective pathway is interrupted: affective attitudes and hedonic values fail to predict intention: functional calculation overrides emotional appeal under high-price conditions.
The cross-sectional convenience sample within a single market limits observation of actual purchase behavior. Future research should use longitudinal designs and probability sampling to address demographic imbalances, and test moderation across housing affordability regimes.
Developers should prioritize verifiable, certified health performance (e.g. ventilation, acoustic insulation, non-toxic materials) and target family decision units rather than individual emotional appeals. Policymakers should extend indoor air quality (IAQ) standards and mandate health-performance disclosure in residential real estate.
Widespread adoption of health-oriented housing developments actively mitigates public risks associated with chronic building pathologies like SBS, successfully bridging preventative human psychology with sustainable urban welfare.
By bridging building pathology with consumer psychology, the study maps the cognitive boundaries of healthy-housing adoption, evidencing that rationality and functional value dominate the adoption of premium, health-oriented dwellings.
