26 pages, This research is intended to initiate understanding of how obesity in the South persists even though the majority of inhabitants subscribe to a faith that discourages unhealthy lifestyles. Grounded in the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, this study examined Protestant evangelical Christians in the South (N = 11), who participated in semi-structured interviews. The first emergent theme was that, to these Southerners, the purpose of food is for sustenance and survival, as well as for bringing people together. Most participants reported having an average level of knowledge of nutrition and health. Furthermore, participants generally agreed that marketing or educational efforts had little effect on their understanding of nutrition. Another theme emerged when participants provided Biblical references to food or health. “The Body is a Temple” and “gluttony” were the most common Biblical concepts. All participants referred to taste or desirability as the driver of their food selections. Furthermore, most participants claimed habitual gluttony as a personal experience in their lives. This study concluded that subjects employed two modes of “trivializing” as a way of resolving dissonance. Some participants justified their eating habits based on Southern culture, while others explained that their church culture supported unhealthy eating as a means of gathering in fellowship.
5 pages., Via online magazine., Winner of the 2017 Borlaug cast communication award, Jayson Lusk, shares the three challenges he sees in effectively communicating with the general public as well as some potential solutions.
Bowen, Blannie E. (author), Lee, Jasper S. (author), Paulette, Dwight M. (author), and Paulette: Graduate Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Lee: Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Bowen: Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1983
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 48 Document Number: C00031
Notes:
Evans; Mississippi State University; See also C01249 for short abstract, Mimeographed, 1983. 15 p. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE); 1983 July 17-21; Madison, WI
Bowen, Blannie E. (author), Lee, Jasper S. (author), Paulette, Dwight M. (author), and Paulette: Graduate Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Lee: Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Bowen: Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1983
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 55 Document Number: C01249
Notes:
451-457; See ID C01241 for original; For complete proposal, see ID C00031, Harold Swanson Collection; See ID CO1241, Mimeographed. 1983. 3 p. Paper presented at the National Convention of Agricultural Communicators in Education; 1983 July 19, Madison, WI
