Stability and change in meat avoidance habits and their motivation in young women

The aim of this study was to examine the stability or otherwise of the avoidance of flesh foods and of its motivation in some young women at a British university in the mid-1990s. In 1993/94 and again in 1995, 40 female undergraduates in the U.K. were asked about foods they avoided and their reasons for and any changes in this avoidance. Most (29 out of 40) of these students maintained the same pattern of avoidance for 18-24 months, although about 66% (19 out of 29) of them changed their primary reason for not eating flesh. Also, most (8 out of 11) of those students who had changed their pattern of avoidance reported a different motive. Those women who became less strict (n = 8) accepted more poultry and/or fish or even beef or lamb. Only 3 students became stricter in their avoidance of animal species. Some students ate more variedly at home, because of more money and time, but also to conform to the family’s eating patterns. Most family members and friends (meat eaters) responded favourably to those who became less strict. However, more extreme peers (vegetarians) reacted negatively. Thus, although meat avoidance was sustained by many for at least 18 months, the range of avoidance and its reasons varied over time and with context.