Diet transformations in families: unravelling the meat reduction process with parents as change agents

Abstract

Reducing meat consumption is widely regarded as sustainable and healthy. Despite its many benefits, modifying or abandoning established eating habits remains challenging for most people. In this paper, we investigate how families change their diets. Specifically, we examine the strategies and actions that one or both parents - acting as change agents - use to facilitate dietary change, as well as household members' responses to these efforts. We collected data through a qualitative study of thirteen Chinese families living in New Zealand (n = 42), offering a perspective that extends beyond European and American populations. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants' homes. Grounding our analysis in construal-level theory and family-systems theory, we identified three stages in the change process: (1) implementing a meat-reduction diet, (2) rebuilding mutual trust and respect, and (3) inspiring household members to develop a sense of commitment and responsibility. We propose a theoretical model that explains the construal shifts - from abstract to concrete and from family-centric to society-centric - that change agents use to reduce their families’ psychological distance from food consumption, thereby enabling dietary change at home. Our work contributes to the literature on family-level dietary change and supports the development of behavior-change campaigns that target families rather than individuals.