Matching Items (4)
Description
Epidemiological studies have identified obesity as a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases such as adult onset diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. In both humans and laboratory animals, high-fat diets have been shown to cause obesity. Increases in dietary fat lead to increased energy consumption and, consequently, significant increases in body fat content. CD36 has been implicated in fat perception, preference, and increased consumption, but it is yet to be tested using a behavior paradigm. To study the effect of CD36 on fat taste transmission and fat consumption, four CD36 knockout (experimental) mice and four Black 6 wildtype (control) mice underwent 20 days of fat preference and perception testing. Both groups of mice were exposed to foods with progressively increasing fat content (10%, 12.5%, 15% 17.5%, 20%, 45%) in order to assess the effect of CD36 on fat preference. Afterward, the mice were subjected to an aversive conditioning protocol designed to test the effect of CD36 on fat taste perception; development of a conditioned taste aversion was indicative of ability to taste fat. Especially, knockout mice exhibited diminished preference for and reduced consumption of fat during preference testing and were unable to identify fat taste as the conditioned stimulus during aversive conditioning. A repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction revealed a significant main effect of group on fat consumption, energy intake, and weight. Linear regression revealed CD36 status to account for a majority of observed variance in fat consumption across both phases of the experiment. These results implicate CD36 in fat taste perception and preference and add to the growing body of evidence suggesting fat as a primary taste.
ContributorsJasbi, Paniz (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Wadhera, Devina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This dissertation explores conditions under which food messages backfire among consumers leading them to engage in behaviors that are opposite to what was intended by the messages. The first essay shows when and how food-related warnings can backfire by putting consumers in a state of reactance. Across three studies, I demonstrate that dieters (but not nondieters) who see a one-sided message focusing on the negative aspects of unhealthy food (vs. a one-sided positive or neutral message) increase their desire for and consumption of unhealthy foods. In contrast, dieters who see a two-sided message (focusing on both the negative and positive aspects of unhealthy food) are more likely to comply with the message, thereby choosing fewer unhealthy foods. My research suggests that negatively-worded food warnings (such as PSAs) are unlikely to work – nondieters ignore them, and dieters do the opposite. Although preliminary, the findings also suggest that two-sided messages may offer a better solution. The second essay shows how certain messages advocating for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can backfire by activating consumers’ thoughts about risk of GMOs. Across four studies, I demonstrate that strong anti-GMO (but not weak anti-GMO) consumers who see a pro-GMO message claiming that GMOs are safe for human consumption (vs. a neutral message) perceive higher risk from GMOs, resulting in more unfavorable attitudes toward GMOs and lower intentions to consume GMOs. My research also suggests that a pro-GMO message claiming that GMOs are beneficial will be more effective in persuading both strong and weak anti-GMO consumers.
ContributorsPham, Nguyen (Author) / Mandel, Naomi (Thesis advisor) / Ketcham, Andrea M (Thesis advisor) / Samper, Adriana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Lay theories of healthy eating are a potentially important consideration for public health and nutrition efforts as perceptions and beliefs about “healthiness” are key determinants of dietary choices (Furst et al. 1996; Grunert, 2007). A rich body of social science literature has examined how people across cultures decide what counts as healthy eating, yet such work has focused mainly on what people think is good and bad to consume, overlooking another important aspect- how one eats. The ways one eats can include patterns and timing of meal intake, as well as mental and emotional states during eating (henceforth, “eating styles”). This dissertation aims to 1) examine whether beliefs on eating styles constitute a separate category of healthy eating perceptions, 2) describe American and Eastern European lay models of how both food characteristics and styles of eating shape health outcomes, and 2) investigate cross-cultural variation in the endorsement of eating styles as important for health in the United States and Eastern Europe. Aims 1 and 2 use pile sorts (n=48), in-person interviews (n=49), and online surveys (n=283) to elicit subjective perspectives on how different eating considerations impact health, and aim 3 involves two sets of questionnaires collected in the U.S. (n=50; n=42) and Eastern Europe (n=42; n=35) to test the hypothesis that levels of collectivism influence variation in endorsement of eating styles for health. Results demonstrate that “eating styles” is a separate category of beliefs in people’s models of healthy eating and individuals in both cultures perceive a variety of important health outcomes from how one eats- weight management, energy levels, digestive health, and overall feeling of wellbeing. These perceptions are not uniform, as participants held contrasting models of how styles of food consumption can influence weight control, and Eastern European respondents held additional views on how aspects of food timing can affect long-term health. Finally, results show that individual level of collectivism, not differences in nationality, accounts for variation in endorsement of eating styles for health. These results suggest that the holistic pattern of attention characteristic of the collectivist social orientation extends to the domain of diet.
ContributorsVoytyuk, Mariya (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis advisor) / Slade, Alexandra (Committee member) / Bruening, Meredith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Food production and consumption directly impacts the environment and human health. Protein in particular has significant cultural and health implications, and how people make decisions about what type of protein they eat has not been studied directly. Many decision tools exist to offer recommendations for seafood, but neglect livestock or plant protein. This study attempts to address these shortcomings in food decision science and tools by asking the questions: 1) What qualities of a dietary protein-based decision tool make it effective? 2) What do people consider when making decisions about what type of protein to consume? Using literature review, meta-analysis, and surveys, this study attempts to determine how the knowledge gained from answering these questions can be used to develop an electronic tool to engage consumers in making sustainable and healthy decisions about protein consumption. The data show that, given environmental and health information about the protein types, people in the sample of farmers market shoppers are more likely to purchase wild salmon and organically grown soybeans, and less likely to purchase grain-fed beef. However, the order of preference among the six types of protein did not change. Additional results suggest that there is a disconnect between consumers and sources of dietary protein, indicating a need for improved education. Inconsistency in labeling and information regarding protein types is a large source of confusion for consumers who participated in the survey, highlighting the need for transparency. Results of this study suggest that decisions tools may help improve decision making, but new ways of using them need to be considered to achieve this.
ContributorsGeren, Sarah (Author) / Gerber, Leah (Thesis advisor) / Minteer, Ben (Committee member) / Wentz, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arvai, Joseph (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015