MEAT ATTACHMENT AND THE WILLINGNESS TO ADOPT A PLANT BASED DIET IN NIGERIA
Paul Uchechukwu Chidolueand Vincent Oko Obinna
1Department of Food Technology
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
uchechidolue@yahoo.com, vinoko43@gmail.com
Corresponding author: Vincent Oko Obinna
ABSTRACT:
There has been a global increase in the consumption of meat, this has increased attachment to meat and has resulted to both environmental issues like increase in Green House Gas (GHG) and a rise in the occurrence of Colorectal Cancer, obesity and other health related problems. Only a transition to a more plant-based diet can help improve public health and remove environmental hazard due to increased GHG. Several researches had revealed that a large segment of consumers is not willing to embrace a more plant based diet. This research evaluated Meat attachment and willingness to adopt a more plant based diet among staff and students of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, South-East, Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was administered and Independent sample t-test and correlation was done on the participants (N=150) to examine their attachment to meat and willingness to follow a plant based diet. Correlation was conducted between variables of the sample; meat attachment, willingness to reduce red and white meat, willingness to follow a plant based diet. The research also evaluated the relationship between meat attachment and gender, environmental factors. The result showed that meat attachment is not influenced by gender, although the meat attachment of female in the sample was slightly higher, same with environmental factors (urban and rural dwellers). The research also revealed that the participants were neither ready to reduce their consumption of red or white meat nor follow a more plant based diet. The research recommends a larger target audience in the future and that the relationship between meat attachments, body mass index (BMI) and disease (health).
Keywords: Meat attachment, Human supremacy, Plant-based diet, meat consumption, urban and rural dwellers, Colorectal Cancer, GHG
