Introduction

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana B) is a semi-shrubby perennial herbaceous plant native to Paraguay, which, in its leaves, contains a mixture of diterpene steviol glycosides (stevioside; rebaudiosides A, B, C, D and F; steviolbioside, rubusoside and dulcoside A) with sweetening properties greater than sucrose without causing an increase in the consumption of kilocalories in people who consume it or serious adverse effects considering the minimum lethal dose of 0.5 g kg^-1 of weight in humans (^{Ahmad and Ahmad, 2018}); this makes it a species of great economic potential as a natural non-caloric sweetener (^{Mogra and Dashora, 2009}; ^{Thomas and Glade, 2010}; ^{Ainapur et al., 2025}).

All these glycosides are found in variable percentages, depending on the species consumed, growth conditions, and agronomic management, reaching up to 15% of the composition, between steviosides and rebaudiosides (^{Gilabert and Encinas, 2014}; ^{Salvador-Reyes et al., 2014}; ^{Xu et al., 2024}). Of the various beneficial properties of products made from stevia, the beneficial effects in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity stand out (^{Kamarulzaman et al., 2014}; ^{Muñoz-Labrador et al., 2024}), since the result that stevia produces on this condition, type 2 diabetes, is that it tends to reduce excess glucose in the blood and tends to enhance insulin secretion (^{Anton et al., 2010}; ^{Zaidan et al., 2019}), so it is concluded that stevia consumption has a potential antidiabetic effect (^{Mishra, 2011}; ^{da Silva et al., 2025}).

Likewise, stevia consumption was highlighted not only because it does not have calories, but also because it reduces anxiety related to food consumption (^{Gupta et al., 2013}; ^{Muñoz-Labrador et al., 2024}). Stevia is marketed in several ways: a) as a simple infusion; b) in liquid form; and c) in the form of soluble crystals, and each of them will have different properties and applications, being their choice dependent; the best way to use stevia will depend on the amount of sweetness required in the particular product or beverage to be sweetened (^{Marín, 2004}; ^{González-Moralejo, 2011}; ^{Mahajan et al., 2024}).

Projections of the global stevia market indicate substantial growth, with an estimated value of 1.3871 billion USD projected by 2032, at a compound annual growth rate of 8.7% (^{Patil, 2025}). Currently, type 2 diabetes mellitus is the second leading cause of death in Mexico (^{INEGI, 2025}). The state of Veracruz is among the states with the most cases of type 2 diabetes in the Mexican Republic (^{Federación Mexicana de Diabetes, 2021}); Mexico ranks first in the world in terms of childhood obesity and second in adults with this condition (^{UNICEF, 2023}). However, according to the ^{Federación Mexicana de Diabetes (2021)}, the state of Veracruz ranks first nationally in terms of obesity in children and adults.

Therefore, given the high prevalence and incidence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity in the state of Veracruz and knowing the benefits of stevia in both diseases, the objective of this research was to know the feasibility of marketing an infusion made with dried and ground stevia leaves among people with this condition, type 2 diabetes and people with obesity in the locality of Córdoba, Veracruz,

Materials and methods

Results and discussion

The results of the interviews applied regarding the person’s profile section indicated that 66% of diabetic people were between 51 and 65 years old, had an average schooling of 9.1 years; in contrast, 62% of people with obesity were between 26 and 50 years old, with an average schooling of 9.7 years; based on these results, we had a target audience with an adult population over 18 years old (people with obesity) and another target audience with an elderly population (people with diabetes). Regarding sex, a 1:1 ratio was interviewed in both target audiences.

Fourteen percent of both people with diabetes and people with obesity mentioned that they know stevia, with people mainly learning about the existence of stevia through word of mouth. This low level of knowledge aligns with the findings by ^{Kamarulzaman et al. (2014)}, who identified that ‘effective promotion is necessary to increase consumer awareness towards a healthier diet’ based on alternatives such as stevia. In addition, 6% and 3% of both target audiences have only tried the plant, representing a significant market opportunity for stevia-derived products.

In the willingness to buy section, 92% of people with diabetes mellitus stated that they would like to acquire a stevia infusion and 87% commented that if they were offered a stevia infusion, they would buy it; in comparison, 100% of people interviewed with obesity mentioned that they would like to acquire a stevia infusion and 80% said that if they were offered a stevia infusion, they would buy it. These results are consistent with the findings of ^{Kamarulzaman et al. (2014)}, who found that ‘the majority of respondents were willing to use stevia-based products as a sugar substitute’.

Finally, both target audiences agreed that the place where they would like to buy a stevia infusion would be a supermarket and that the ideal advertising would be through television. This preference for conventional distribution channels differs partially from that reported by ^{Lemus-Mondaca et al. (2012)}, who found a greater preference for channels specialized in healthy products in other geographical contexts.

In the contingency tables of the cross-tabulation, it is observed that the group of diabetic people, men aged between 51 and 65 years, are the population most willing to consume a stevia infusion (Table 2), while regarding people with obesity, men between 26 and 50 years of age are the ones who are willing to consume a stevia infusion (Table 3).

This association between age and willingness to buy a stevia infusion, particularly in the 51 to 65 age group for people with diabetes, is consistent with the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in older adults, as noted by ^{Samuel et al. (2018)}.

Based on the cluster analysis, the proximity matrix is presented in Tables 4 and 5, where the distances between the different cases are expressed by combining the ten variables used. As can be seen, in both target audiences, the most similar variables are they would consume a stevia infusion and they would buy an infusion of stevia. For its part, the dendrogram shows the formation of two segments in individuals with diabetes (Figure 1) and in people with obesity, four segments are formed (Figure 2).

Figure 1 Dendrogram using single linkage for diabetic people. 

Figure 2 Dendrogram using single linkage for people with obesity. 

This segmentation partially aligns with the typologies of consumers of healthy products, highlighting the importance of adapting communication strategies to the characteristics of each segment. Prior knowledge about stevia was found to be a significant predictor of purchase intention in both populations, which underscores the crucial importance of educational and informational strategies in product marketing.

Conclusions

There is a low level of knowledge about stevia (14%) in both populations studied. In addition, a high initial willingness towards stevia infusion was identified (92% in people with diabetes and 100% in people with obesity), which translates into a declared purchase intention of 87% and 80%, respectively. The proposal of an innovative product, ‘Steviacolpos’, for the introduction in the market of Córdoba, Veracruz, determined that there is a potential demand for stevia leaf infusion in filter bag form, due to the health benefits generated by its consumption, which is the reason why the product could be accepted; therefore, it is feasible to market an infusion made from dried stevia leaves with a marketing strategy.