Food Liking as a Mediator Between Meat Attachment and Consumption of Meat and Plant-Based Foods
Description
This dataset contains cross-sectional survey data from 180 community-dwelling Australian adults aged 50 to 75 years, collected to investigate the relationships between meat attachment, food liking, and consumption of animal- and plant-based foods. The study was motivated by increasing interest in promoting plant-based diets to support both human and environmental health, while recognising that many older adults remain attached to meat consumption. Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising three validated measures: (1) the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), assessing emotional and cognitive attachment to meat and its dimensions (e.g., Dependence, Hedonism, Entitlement and Affinity); (2) a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), measuring habitual consumption of animal-based and plant-based foods; and (3) a Food Liking Questionnaire (FLQ), assessing hedonic responses to a wide range of foods, including both animal- and plant-based options. Additional demographic variables were also collected. The dataset includes individual-level responses, calculated scale scores, food liking scores, food frequency and intake measures, and derived variables used in statistical analyses. Data were used to examine whether food liking mediates or moderates the relationship between meat attachment and dietary behaviour. Analyses were conducted using bootstrapped mediation and moderation models. Findings showed that stronger meat attachment was directly associated with higher consumption of animal-based foods, but this relationship was not explained by greater liking of meat. In contrast, stronger meat attachment was associated with lower liking of plant-based foods, which partially explained lower consumption of plant-based foods. Among the dimensions of meat attachment, Dependence, defined as the belief that meat is necessary for health and wellbeing, was the strongest predictor of both greater animal-based food intake and lower plant-based food intake. No evidence was found that food liking moderated these associations. The dataset provides a valuable resource for researchers investigating dietary behaviour, food choice, ageing, plant-based eating, and the psychological factors influencing protein consumption. It can support secondary analyses examining determinants of plant-based food adoption in older adults, the role of food preferences in dietary transition, and interventions designed to promote healthier and more sustainable eating patterns.
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Steps to reproduce
This dataset was generated from a cross-sectional online survey examining the relationships between meat attachment, food liking, and consumption of animal- and plant-based foods among community-dwelling Australian adults aged 50 to 75 years. Participants were recruited through the Prolific online research platform and completed a Qualtrics-administered questionnaire. After providing informed consent, respondents completed demographic questions followed by three primary study instruments: the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and the Food Liking Questionnaire (FLQ). Survey completion time was approximately 10 minutes, and participants received AUD $4.00 compensation upon completion. Participants were required to have a valid Prolific ID and complete a reCAPTCHA verification check before accessing the survey. Additional bot-detection procedures included invisible honeypot questions embedded within the survey code and a Theory of Mind false-belief item designed to identify non-human respondents. Three attention checks were also distributed throughout the survey, including an instruction-following item with a mandatory delay, a logical reasoning item, and a category recognition task. Participants who failed two or more attention checks were excluded from the final analytical dataset. The Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ) was adapted from Graça et al. (2015) to assess emotional and cognitive attachment to meat consumption. All 16 original items were administered using a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Minor wording modifications were introduced to improve comprehension for older adults. Because of these adaptations and the use of an older Australian sample, the factor structure of the scale was re-evaluated during analysis. Dietary intake was assessed using a modified Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) based on established dietary assessment methods. The FFQ included 26 food items commonly consumed in Australia across four categories: meat products, plant-based protein staples, vegetables, and grains/cereals. Participants reported consumption frequency using a nine-point response scale ranging from “never or less than once per month” to “six or more times per day”. Four additional questions assessed typical daily servings from each major food group. The FFQ was designed to estimate relative habitual intake and enable comparison of consumption patterns between individuals. Food preferences were assessed using the Food Liking Questionnaire (FLQ). Participants rated their liking of the same 26 food items included in the FFQ using a nine-point hedonic scale ranging from “dislike extremely” to “like extremely”. The parallel structure of the FFQ and FLQ enabled direct examination of associations between food liking and food consumption. This study was approved by the Deakin University Faculty of Health Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG Approval: 2025/HE000424).
Institutions
- Deakin UniversityVictoria, Burwood