LAUSR

ABSTRACT Very few Americans follow a plant-based diet (PBD), despite its environmental and personal benefits. To better understand motivations and intentions to adopt a PBD, this online survey study sampled 514 participants across the US, utilizing the Health Belief Model (HBM) and subjective norms from the Theory of Planned Behavior. Both self-efficacy and subjective norms are significant positive predictors of intention to eat a PBD. The highest perceived benefits of adopting a PBD are health and well-being, while the highest perceived barrier is difficulty breaking current eating habits. A parallel mediation model determined that subjective norms was the strongest mediator between meat consumption and intention to adopt a PBD. Future research should explore the influence of HBM variables on intention, including cues to action and perceived threat. Those promoting a PBD should address the barrier of habit-breaking, develop self-efficacy, and increase visibility of the diet’s health, environmental, and ethical benefits.