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Perceived Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Dietary Behavior

Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, University of Munich, Germanyweit{at}ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de

C. Pottgießer

School of Public Health (Studiengang ÷ffentliche Gesundheit und Epidemiologie), University of Munich, Germany

N. Meyer

Bayerischer Forschungsverbund Public Health— ÷ffentliche Gesundheit, Germany

A. Crispin

Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, University of Munich, Germany

R. Fischer

Bayerischer Forschungsverbund Public Health— ÷ffentliche Gesundheit, Germany

K. Schotten

J. Kerr

K. Überla

Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, University of Munich, Germany

The German BSE crisis in early 2001 can be considered as a natural experiment with strong behavioral consequences. The present study investigated psychological and other factors associated with reduced meat consumption compared to the first months of the previous year. As expected, all types of meat, with the exception of poultry and game, were eaten less often. The effect was strongest in beef, where almost half of the sample reported reduced meat consumption. As predicted by the health belief model, perceived threat was associated with subjective vulnerability. It was not, however, strongly associated with perceived seriousness of BSE, probably due to the ubiquitous public discussion of the topic. Reduced beef consumption has three to four times more frequent in the event of subjective threat.

Key Words: BSE • Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease • dietary behavior • health belief model

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 3, 373-381 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/13591053030083007


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