See Wei Toh

Abstract

According to the theory of planned behavior (TpB), one determinant of intention to engage in a behavior is the subjective norm. Various studies have found that subjective norm is often the weaker predictor of intention compared to perceived behavioral control and attitude. This study examined whether familism (emphasis on the family rather than the individual) would contribute positively to the predictive power of the TpB model through interactions with the family portion of descriptive and injunctive norms. Descriptive and injunctive norms are component variables of the subjective norm. A sample of 284 adult Chinese Seventh-day Adventists 18 years and older in North America completed a survey instrument that measured their affective attitude, instrumental attitude, family descriptive norm, family injunctive norm, non-family descriptive norm, non-family injunctive norm, the self-efficacy and controllability components of perceived behavioral control and intention related to eating a vegetarian diet. The questionnaire also measured familism. Structural equation modeling multi-group analyses on high and low familism groups showed that the model is invariant in measurement weights but not invariant in structural weights. Affective attitude (p < 0.001), family descriptive norm (p < 0.001), non-family descriptive norm (p < 0.05), perceived controllability (p < 0.05) had significant and positive association with intention. For the high familism group, affective attitude was a better predictor of intention than in the low familism group (interaction of familism with affective attitude was significant (p < 0.01)). Family injunctive norm had a negative correlation with intention in the high familism group but a positive correlation with intention in the low familism group (interaction of familism with family injunctive norm was significant (p < 0.001)). For the high family injunctive norm group, family descriptive norm was a better predictor of intention than in the low family injunctive norm group (interactive of family descriptive norm with family injunctive norm was significant (p < 0.05)).

School

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Naomi N. Modeste

Second Advisor

Jerry W. Lee

Third Advisor

Ella Haddad

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2009

Date (Title Page)

1-2009

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Vegetarianism -- Health aspects; Vegetarianism -- Religious aspects -- Seventh-day Adventists; Seventh-day Adventists -- Health and hygiene; Chinese Americans -- Family relationships; Health behavior -- Research; Diet, Vegetarian; Family -- psychology; Asian Americans -- psychology

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

x; 96

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

Download

Share

COinS