Thesis advisor: John Michalczyk / Why do we eat the foods that we do? This question is one that is not often considered by individuals as they go about their daily lives, but can have large implications on public health – for, there is a strong, physiological connection between food consumption and one’s health and wellbeing. Accordingly, when reflecting upon the health of a nation it is often important to consider its nutritional status. Ultimately, many determinants can contribute to how and why an individual eats certain foods, as can be seen in Ecuador. In this Latin American country, for instance, historical, socioeconomic, cultural, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental factors (among others) can be seen to influence the different diets – and by extension, the nutritional statuses – of different ethnic, regional, and geographic populations. Though common across Ecuador, discrepancies among these groups are particularly noticeable in the highland region, the Sierra. Overall, this paper examines the different forms of malnutrition, their implications on one’s health, and their prevalence across Ecuador. Additionally, it considers how the Ecuadorian diet was shaped, and how different subcuisines lend themselves to varying forms of malnutrition. Specifically, this paper focuses on the Sierra, given that levels of malnutrition are noticeably higher in this region, and that this highland area is home to large rural and indigenous communities who are most significantly impacted by the region’s nutritional conditions. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: .

Wasser ist eine der wichtigsten Ressourcen. Jedoch schätzt man, dass sich das globale Wasserdefizit schon im Jahr 2030 auf ca. 40 Prozent belaufen wird. Klimawandel, veränderte Lebensweisen, und Bevölkerungswachstum verstärken das Nachfrage-Angebot-Defizit. Als Konsequenz leiden immer mehr Regionen unter Wasserknappheit. Eine reduzierte Wassernachfrage bedingt durch verstärktes Wassersparen kann das Problem verringern. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es daher, zu einem besseren Verständnis der sozio-demographischen und psychologischen Determinanten von Wassersparverhalten beizutragen. Basierend auf drei Datensätzen aus Deutschland und Jordanien wurden die verschiedenen Facetten von Wassersparverhalten und deren Determinanten beleuchtet. Das Verhältnis zwischen Wassersparen und Umwelteinstellung, einem latenten Konstrukt, das kooperative, prosoziale und sogar moralische Tendenzen widerspiegelt, wurde konzeptionell untersucht. Zusätzlich wurde Wassersparen in Deutschland als ein Repräsentant für moralisches Verhalten verwendet. In diesem Zusammenhang wurden Umwelteinstellung und der Persönlichkeitsfaktor Ehrlichkeit-Bescheidenheit auf ihr Vermögen hin verglichen, moralisches Verhalten vorherzusehen. Eine ausführliche Analyse zur Bewertung einer Kampagne zur Förderung des Wassersparbewusstseins hat detaillierte Informationen zu ihren tatsächlichen Effekten gezeigt. Eine weitere Analyse hat sich auf die Determinanten von Wassersparverhalten in Jordanien konzentriert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Wassersparverhalten nicht durch Alter, Bildungsgrad und Einkommen beeinflusst wird, sondern eher durch die Ausprägung der Umwelteinstellung. Diese Dissertation liefert wertvolle Informationen für Forscher und Politiker. Die detaillierte Untersuchung von verschiedenen Wasserspardeterminanten birgt großes Potenzial für ein verbessertes Wassermanagement. / Water is one of the most important resources. However, the global water deficit was estimated to reach about 40% by 2030. Climate change, changing lifestyles, and population growth increase the supply and demand gap further. As a consequence, more and more regions experience water scarcity. In that context, reduced household water demand due to enhanced water conservation could alleviate the problem or, at least, reduce the pressure on water resources. Thus, this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the socio-demographic and psychological determinants of water conservation behavior. Based on three distinct datasets from Germany and Jordan, the manifold facets of water conservation and its determinants were examined. From a conceptual perspective, the relationship between water conservation and environmental attitude, a latent construct representing cooperative, prosocial, and even moral tendencies, were investigated. Furthermore, water conservation in Germany was used as a proxy for moral behavior. In that respect, environmental attitude and the personality factor Honesty-Humility were compared in order to determine, which factor constitutes the better predictor of moral behavior. Using original data from Jordan, a comprehensive impact evaluation of a water conservation awareness campaign revealed detailed information on its actual effects. Another analysis focused on a wide variety of water conservation determinants in Jordan. The results indicate that water conservation does not differ with respect to age, education, and income, but rather with different levels of environmental attitude. This thesis provides valuable information for researchers and policy makers alike. The detailed examination of various water conservation determinants offer a great potential for an improved management of household water demand.