title: Culture and Healthy Eating: The Role of Independence and Interdependence in the United States and Japan.
abstract: Healthy eating is important for physical health. Using large probability samples of middle-aged adults in the United States and Japan, we show that fitting with the culturally normative way of being predicts healthy eating. In the United States, a culture that prioritizes and emphasizes independence, being independent predicts eating a healthy diet (an index of fish, protein, fruit, vegetables, reverse-coded sugared beverages, and reverse-coded high fat meat consumption; Study 1) and not using nonmeat food as a way to cope with stress (Study 2a). In Japan, a culture that prioritizes and emphasizes interdependence, being interdependent predicts eating a healthy diet (Studies 1 and 2b). Furthermore, reflecting the types of agency that are prevalent in each context, these relationships are mediated by autonomy in the United States and positive relations with others in Japan. These findings highlight the importance of understanding cultural differences in shaping healthy behavior and have implications for designing health-promoting interventions.
authors: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA cynthia.levine@northwestern.edu.
authors: Cynthia S
authors: CS
authors: Levine
authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors: Yuri
authors: Y
authors: Miyamoto
authors: Stanford University, CA, USA.
authors: Hazel Rose
authors: HR
authors: Markus
authors: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Attilio
authors: A
authors: Rigotti
authors: University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors: Jennifer Morozink
authors: JM
authors: Boylan
authors: University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors: Jiyoung
authors: J
authors: Park
authors: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors: Shinobu
authors: S
authors: Kitayama
authors: Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Japan.
authors: Mayumi
authors: M
authors: Karasawa
authors: University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Norito
authors: N
authors: Kawakami
authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors: Christopher L
authors: CL
authors: Coe
authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors: Gayle D
authors: GD
authors: Love
authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors: Carol D
authors: CD
authors: Ryff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D000072001:Diet, Healthy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D066262:Social Norms; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: culture; healthy eating; independence; interdependence