Situations Matter for Meat Consumption:A Diary Study of the Within- and Between-person Associations

While previous research on understanding meat consumption has predominantly focused on personal factors, such as attitudes or sociodemographic characteristics, less attention has been given to the role of situational factors such as location and social setting. This study aimed to investigate such situational factors associated with meat consumption and whether they relate to meat consumption due to within-person associations (such as eating a meal with others or alone) or between-person associations (such as some individuals typically eat meals with others while other individuals typically eat alone). Finally, the role of sociodemographic characteristics for meat consumption was explored. A five-day diary study was conducted in which 230 participants recorded 2,461 meals and the corresponding situations. The results of multilevel logistic regressions indicate that meat consumption was more likely to occur when meals were eaten hungrily, together with others, and at noon or in the evening. The association of hunger and time with meat consumption was due to within-person associations, while the association of social setting with meat consumption was due to both within-person and between-person associations. No sociodemographic characteristics were associated with meat consumption. These findings have important implications for understanding meat consumption and designing effective interventions tailored to either persons or situations.