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The current study employed an ABA design with a control group to assess the effectiveness of a commitment strategy in reducing meat consumption among university students (n=70). Participants who were randomly assigned to the commitment condition did not consume significantly less meat than participants in the control group, t (48)=.74, p=.47. 79% (n=19) of participants in the control group decreased their meat consumption from baseline to treatment phase, compared with 96% (n=27) of participants in the treatment group. Additionally, when both groups were collapsed, all participants reduced meat consumption from baseline to treatment phase t (51)=8.6, p<.001. Participants' scores on the Motivation Towards the Environment Scale, a measure of self-determined motivation towards environmental behavior, were not significant predictors of meat consumption behavior before or during the intervention, t(67)= -.26, p=.80, t(51)=.53, p=.60. Implications and directions for future research are discussed within the paper. / Master of Science

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the most prominent cause of adult mortality, killing 38 million people each year and on the rise[1]. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are responsible for 82% of NCD-related illness and death. These four diseases, along with mental illness, are estimated to cost the developing world $21 trillion over the next two decades.[2] Given the substantial health and economic detriments of NCDs, policy makers, government officials, and enterprises around the globe have begun to focus efforts on better understanding and preventing the proliferation of these diseases. Lifestyle factors, including increased inactivity, poor diet, and alcohol and tobacco consumption are currently the most commonly attributed risk factors of NCDs. With the influx of epidemiological literature linking meat consumption to western disease prevalence, and the World Health Organization (WHO) releasing a statement this year classifying processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen alongside cigarette smoking, this thesis seeks to understand more thoroughly the role of diet, specifically meat consumption, in the incidence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes around the world. This paper analyzes previous epidemiological studies on dietary consumption and disease incidence as well as conducts an empirical analysis of data from the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to understand the relationship between meat consumption and disease prominence. This paper is the first of its kind to compare country-level data on dietary and lifestyle factors with respective disease incidence and mortality rates in order to observe the impact of country consumption trends on health outcomes. The results of this analysis may provide insight into global economic, health policy and individual-level consumption recommendations in order to mitigate the occurrence of ill-health.

There are many models used to estimate demand elasticities. We present a complex review of these studies in our thesis. Our empirical goal is to compare LES, Translog and QUAIDS demand systems according to their performance. In parallel, we estimate the elasticities of meat demand in the Czech Republic for the period 2010 - 2015 using the data of the household budget survey. Comparing the systems by the Akaike and Schwarz criterion, LES demonstrates the best fit for this kind of data. The average of price elasticity for different kinds of meat in the examined period is -0.99, income elasticity then equals to 1.12. These results can have important implications for tax policy, or for commercial use. JEL Classification F12, F21, F23, H25, H71, H87 Keywords Demand, comparison, LES, Translog, QUAIDS, meat Author's e-mail 55606678@fsv.cuni.cz Supervisor's e-mail milan.scasny@czp.cuni.cz

Meat is both a sensitive and current subject with daily reports on its environmental affects, animal well-being and our health. Meat consumption in Sweden has risen with around 40 percent since 1990 and the carbon footprint from the meat industry is today almost as big as the carbon footprint from all cars, boats, train and airplanes together. Despite numerous reports from various government departments and researchers, there are very few policies and instruments in how meat consumption can be reduced.  Meat &amp; Talk explores how food design can be used as a medium to create discussions and reflections, as well as how it can be used to encourage a change in behaviour and to affect policy making. During the project a participatory design approach have been used and several food events have been carried out including both consumers and politicians. The events have been designed differently using different methods such as evoke emotions, provoke, materialise statistics and empower and guide the participants to reduce their meat consumption. The focus has been on the emotional aspects of eating meat, including norms, status and culture. The project has been both exploratory and experimental and is positioned in between several different design fields and art movements. Probes have been used throughout the process in order to get reactions and responses from the participants.  Through the activities during the project, a workshop format has developed proposing a national tour involving politicians and officials within municipalities. The aim is to visualise issues with meat consumption, get meat on the political agenda and discuss future possibilities for each municipality.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Laura A. Brannon / Though the research on vegetarianism and meat consumption reduction has dramatically increased over the last few decades, almost all of this research focuses on current vegetarians/meat reducers and non-vegetarians’ perceptions of vegetarianism (Boyle, 2007; Ruby, 2012). Research targeting non-vegetarians and attempting to influence their meat consumption is virtually non-existent. Thus, the intent of the present dissertation was to effectively decrease individuals’ meat consumption habits and alter individuals’ attitudes toward meat. As research has repeatedly found that messages that are tailored to an individual are more persuasive and effective at influencing health behaviors (Bull et al., 2001; Ryan & Lauver, 2002)) and attitudes (e.g., Murray-Johnson & Witte, 2003; Rimal & Adkins, 2003), the present dissertation specifically sought to determine the effectiveness of tailored meat consumption reduction feedback and messages to influence individuals’ intentions to consume meat and attitudes toward meat consumption. Specifically, this dissertation investigated the effectiveness of messages specific to individuals’ behavior (a behavioral feedback approach), messages oriented to individuals’ self-schemas, egoistic and altruistic oriented messages, and feedback/messages tailored to individuals’ values. Contrary to the hypotheses, the results of the present studies suggested that individuals’ willingness to reduce their meat consumption is not differentially affected by different types of feedback/messages; however, this lack of significant impact for tailored feedback/messages may due to various limitations that are discussed at length within the present dissertation. Despite the possible limitations of the studies conducted, the present dissertation has made significant contributions to the meat consumption reduction literature. The first of its kind, this dissertation importantly illustrates the importance of and need for research encouraging meat consumption reduction.

abstract: The rise of meat consumption in the United States has been dramatic over the past half century due to demographic changes. The increase in meat is visible in Mexico as well due to expanding economic interest in cattle production plus increased population and rising incomes. The worst consequences of our modern food system are in factory farming of animals, which requires a greater amount of resources than for producing grains, fruits, and vegetables. The specific effects of meat consumption highlight the importance of understanding humans as actors in the food system. In order to explore the drivers of consumer food and meat choice, my research answered the two questions: What factors influence meat consumption? and How do cultural and social norms influence decisions to consume certain types and amounts of meat? Qualitative interviews were conducted with Mexican-American respondents between age 20 and 29 as the population of interest because of their regional dominance in the study area of Tempe, AZ and because of the high prevalence of meat in their cultural diets. Looking at millennials in particular is crucial because as the first generation born with technology and Internet as constants, they have formed unique characteristics like openness to change and new perspectives. My sample population communicated motivations and constraints to their overall consumption patterns and the frequency and types of meat consumed. This study found that cost and convenience were the driving factors behind food choice, given the hectic schedules of the sample population, who were mostly students at Arizona State University. Culture played an important role in respondents' heavy meat consumption given their exposure to meat's centrality in traditional Mexican meals. Acculturation did not play an extensive role because prominent Mexican culture in the Southwest U.S. allowed respondents' families access to traditional food while living in the US. The lack of sustainability knowledge and its connection to food choice indicates the importance of marketing that contextualizes decreased meat consumption. Rather than focusing solely on environmental outcomes, marketing tools highlighting health, financial, and economic benefits of eating less meat would encourage more consumers to decrease consumption. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Sustainability 2014

abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) in guiding message design for a new health context, reducing meat consumption. The experiment was a posttest only design with a comparison and a control group. Message design was informed by the EPPM and contained threat and efficacy components. Participants (Americans ages 25-44 who eat meat approximately once a day) were randomly assigned to view a high threat/ high efficacy video, a high threat/ low efficacy video, or to be in a control group. Dependent variables were danger control outcomes (i.e., attitudes, intentions, and behavior) and fear control outcomes (i.e., perceived manipulative intent, message derogation, and defensive avoidance). Outcomes were assessed at an immediate posttest (Time 1) and at a one-week follow up (Time 2). There were 373 participants at Time 1 and 153 participants at Time 2. The data did not fully fit either the EPPM or the additive model; both videos were equally persuasive and resulted in greater message acceptance (attitude change, behavioral intention, and behavior) than the control group. Because the high threat/ low efficacy group was more persuasive than the control group, the data more closely fit the additive model. Fear control outcomes did not differ between the two video groups. Overall, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of using the EPPM to guide video message design in a new health context, reducing meat consumption. The results supported the EPPM prediction that a high-threat high-efficacy message would result in message acceptance, but support was not found for the necessity of an efficacy component for message acceptance. These findings can be used to guide new or existing health campaigns that seek to improve public health outcomes, including reducing the incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2015

Meat is important in the American diet. Money spent for meat ranks as the largest single item in the family food dollar. Various studies indicate that the proportion of the food dollar spent for meat ranges from 25 to 30 percent. Such foods as dairy products and fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables calculated as separate groups account for a smaller single percentage than meat. Dairy products, the one of next importance to meat, account for approximately 18 percent of the consumer's food dollar.