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Three Papers The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts PLANT-BASED DIETS IN SOCIAL CONTEXT: THREE PAPERS A Dissertation in Sociology and Demography by Anne DeLessio-Parson © 2017 Anne DeLessio-Parson Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 The dissertation of Anne DeLessio-Parson was reviewed and approved* by the following: Nancy K. Luke Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography Dissertation Adviser Co-Chair of Committee Ashton Verdery Assistant Professor of Sociology and Demography Co-Chair of Committee Diane Felmlee Professor of Sociology Jennifer Van Hook Professor of Sociology and Demography Clio Andris Assistant Professor of Geography Melissa Hardy Professor of Sociology and Demography Graduate Program Chair *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii ABSTRACT Vegetarianism represents a growing global trend. I examine this phenomenon in two outlier settings in the Global South: India, with a long history of vegetarianism, and Argentina, with a long history of high beef consumption. I begin with an overview of vegetarianism and this dissertation. In Chapter 2, I turn to India, where I examine vegetarian practice, and I ask: is vegetarianism health protective against obesity, and do these effects vary by neighborhood? I find that vegetarianism on average protects against obese status except in mega cities, where unhealthy food environments may reveal worrisome trends. In Chapters 3 and 4, I focus on vegetarian identity, attitudes, and beliefs, and I present the results of the Social Networks and Pathways of Vegetarianism in Argentina survey. First, I examine gender differences and identify three themes: women as pioneers, meat and masculinity, and vegetarianism as identity and critical worldview. I find women become vegetarian at higher rates and earlier in time than men. Men retain more of a connection to meat-centric spaces, but both women and men develop critical worldviews as part of vegetarian practice. Next, in Chapter 4, I investigate differences beyond the gender binary by using three categorizations: straight women, straight men, and queer-identified. I find that straight men and queer-identified report larger social networks than straight women, whose vegetarianism may exist more under the radar in the Argentine context. Finally, I conclude and suggest that vegetarianism is an important practice, identity, and set of attitudes to study from a sociological and demographic perspective as it emerges as part of the pathway towards a more sustainable future. iii Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. A Protective Effect of Plant-Based Diets in Urbanizing India? ............................ 9 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Nutrition Transition, Health, Wealth, & Vegetarianism ......................................................................... 12 Research Hypotheses .............................................................................................................................. 19 Data and methods .................................................................................................................................... 20 Measures ................................................................................................................................................. 21 Analytic Approach .................................................................................................................................. 23 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 35 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Chapter 3. Gender differences among vegetarians in Argentina ........................................... 38 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 38 Study Setting: In the Land of Beef.......................................................................................................... 40 Women as Pioneers ................................................................................................................................. 42 Meat and Masculinity ............................................................................................................................. 43 Vegetarianism as Identity and Critical Worldview ................................................................................. 46 Current study ........................................................................................................................................... 47 Data and methods .................................................................................................................................... 47 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 50 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 65 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 4. The gender-sex binary and social networks of vegetarians in Argentina .......... 68 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 68 A Social Network Perspective ................................................................................................................ 71 A Survey that Breaks with the Gender/Sex Binary ................................................................................. 73 Data and methods .................................................................................................................................... 78 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 80 Discussion and Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 94 Chapter 5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 97 References .................................................................................................................................. 101 Appendix A. Gender Non-Conforming X ............................................................................... 112 Appendix B. Informed Consent ............................................................................................... 116 iv List of Tables Table 2-1. Women (N=75,972*) by obesity status & their neighborhoods (N=3847) ....................... 26 Table 2-2. Correlation coefficients for level 1 variables ..................................................................... 27 Table 2-3. Correlation coefficients for level 2 variables ..................................................................... 28 Table 2-4. Level 1 regression results: Predictors of BMI and obesity ................................................ 29 Table 2-5. Predictors of BMI; Multi-level results and interaction terms tested .................................. 31 Table 2-6. Predictors of obesity (BMI ≥ 25) by place – logistic regression results ............................ 33 Table 3-1. Select descriptive statistics by gender ............................................................................... 51 Table 3-2. Vegetarian status by gender ............................................................................................... 52 Table 3-3. Key milestones by gender .................................................................................................. 57 Table 3-4. Barriers at conversion, % responded 1 or higher ............................................................... 60 Table 3-5. Partner status at time of conversion by gender .................................................................. 61 Table 3-6. What do you do if invited to an asado? ............................................................................. 65 Table 4-1. Gender identity and sexual orientation .............................................................................. 81 Table 4-2. Select descriptive statistics ...............................................................................................
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