There are SIGNIFICANT differences in diets
across cultures. This can be due to
AVALIABILITY, RELIGION or TRADITION.
Avaliability - for
example eskimos eat
seal as that is the
primary meat avaliable
to them.
Religion - for example
Muslims will only eat Halal
meat and teh majority won't
eat pig products.
Tradition - for example the French
will eat frogs legs and snails,
while the Japanese will eat insects
and snakes, all of these are not
considered "food" in England.
WARDLE ET AL - surveryed 16,000 young
adults in 21 countries across Europe. Those in
meditarranean countries ate more fruit and
vegetables, while those in Scandinavian
countries ate more fibre. This shows a
difference in preferences.
Parental Attitudes
Children aquire eating behaviours
by observing the behaviour of their
parents.
OLIVERA ET AL - found a
relationship between
mother's intake in food and
thei pre-school child's intake.
BROWN and OGDEN - found a
correlation between parents and their
children's snack intake, eating
motivations and body satisfaction.
Media
The media can promote a
particular food and exert a huge
influence over people in
modernised societies. Children
often show a preference for highly
advertised foods e.g. McDonalds.
MACINTYRE - found
that the media has a
MAJOR influence on
what people eat and
their attitudes
towards certain foods.
Social Learning Theory
By observing others
and how/what they eat,
we are IMPACTED and
change our own eating
behaviour and
preferences to those
around us.
LOWE ET AL - younger
children were shown
videos of 'food-dudes'
eating healthy foods
the younger chidlren
had previously refused.
this EXPOSURE lead to
the chidlren
SIGNIFICANTLY chnaging
tehir own attitudes to
seem cool and be liked
(normative).
Another factor is EXPOSURE and
FAMILIARITY, we prefer foods we have had
greater exposure to and that are not 'novel'.
NEOPHOBIA - fear of new foods.
Mood
Serotonin Hypothesis
Opiate Hypothesis
Explanations for the Success and Failure of Dieting