Plant-based diets: A forced choice for socially disadvantaged rural adults
Abdul-Rahaman, Saadatu
Abdul-Rahaman, Saadatu
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Abstract
Objectives: Population-level dietary transitions to plant-based diets (PBDs) will require interventions to change current food environments and encourage plant-based eating. To be effective, such interventions require understanding how human behavior and lived experience interact. In rural areas of the US, meat holds important social and cultural importance, yet rural populations remain understudied in the literature on PBDs. The objective of our study is to examine how diverse identities shape PBD behavior among rural adults. Methods: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and an intersectional approach, we implemented multi-group structural equation models with a national sample of rural adults (n=1778) to predict adherence to PBDs. Results: Attitude toward PBDs was the strongest predictor of intention to eat a plant-based diet across models. However, respondents with different intersectional identities experienced and responded to social pressure and structural constraints differently. The results suggest that among socially advantaged rural adults, PBDs are a choice enabled by personal beliefs and resources. However, in a subset of this group, comprising nonpoor adults (? = -0.057, p = 0.045) and White men with higher education (? = -0.163, p = 0.014), there was a resistance to PBDs with increasing social pressure. Among socially disadvantaged rural adults, such as less educated women and poor women, PBDs were compelled by economic distress and systemic challenges suggesting that increasing resources would result in shifts away from plant-based eating. In a subgroup of poor adults with higher education (? = -0.189, p = 0.037), we observed a complete refusal of PBDs, wherein PBDs were a last resort. Conclusions: Our data suggests the need to consider context, identity, and values when designing strategies to promote PBDs, especially among socially disadvantaged rural adults. This study also lays the groundwork for more research on intersectional inquiries of sustainable dietary patterns.
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Date
01/01/2026
Student Status
Graduate Student
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Poster
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Program/Major
Food Systems
College/School
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Social Science