Transcript No Slide Title

The “Skinny” on Coffee Drinkers:
Gender Differences in Healthy Beverage Choices
Rachel L. Osborne, Braden D. Ackley, & Traci A. Giuliano
Southwestern University
Introduction
Amidst the endless promotion of “diet-friendly” food products in self-help books,
food packages, and restaurant commercials, it is evident that society is preoccupied with
food consumption, a phenomenon that may be attributed to perceptions about the impact
of food on one’s weight and health (Aruguete, Yates, & Edman, 2006; Rozin et al., 2003).
Although this fixation on food consumption is known to vary according to race,
ethnicity, religion, and geographic location (Rozin et al., 2003), a large body of research
suggests that gender is the leading predictor of both food perceptions and eating
behavior (Aruguete et al., 2006; Rozin et al., 2003). One fundamental source of variation
between men and women concerns their unique health attitudes (Rozin et al., 2003),
such that men place a lesser degree of importance on healthy eating than do women. For
instance, Wardle et al. (2004) found that men, in comparison to women, do not perceive
low-fat, reduced-sodium, and high-fiber food products to be as important to their health.
Interestingly, the relative health attitudes of men and women are manifested in their food
mentality (Aruguete et al., 2006; Rozin et al., 2003). Specifically, research confirms that
women are more likely to use health schemas in the context of food, weighting its health
effects above its culinary properties (Rozin et al., 2003).
Most importantly, gender differences have been observed in terms of actual food
consumption, even on a universal level (Wardle et al., 2004). For instance, empirical
research has concluded that dieting is more prevalent among women than men, and that
women are more prone than men to consume “diet-friendly” products (e.g., foods low in
sugar, fat or salt; Rozin et al., 2003). Men are even more likely to eat at fast food
restaurants--typical venues of unhealthy eating (Aruguete et al., 2006).
Taken together, it is apparent that women’s food consumption is healthier than is
men’s, which can be explained by women’s greater concern for improving their health and
managing their weight (Alexander & Tupper, 1995). However, most of the research to
date has given little attention to the consumption of beverages. Furthermore, there is a
dearth of research on people’s behavior in public eating environments, which may provide
special insight into the eating habits and health consciousness of men and women.
Accordingly, the present study attempted to address these gaps in the literature.
Specifically, we explored the relationship between gender and health-conscious behavior,
focusing on the context of beverages. A naturalistic observation study was conducted at a
local coffee venue that offered customers several healthy modifiers on standard drink
items. Based on the research reviewed thus far, we expected to find a significant
relationship between gender and drink choice, such that females would demonstrate a
greater tendency than would males to order a healthy version of a drink (rather than the
standard, unhealthy version).
Conclusion
Participants in the current study were 96 patrons (34 male, 62 female) of a local
coffee shop who were approximately 15 years of age and older. A 2 x 2 categorical
design was used, in which gender and beverage order were the variables of interest.
Beverage orders were classified as either healthy or unhealthy; healthy beverages
were those that were ordered with at least one healthy modifier (e.g., sugar-free,
nonfat, or light), whereas unhealthy beverages were those that were offered in a
healthier version yet were ordered without any healthy modifiers. The unobtrusive
observations took place from inside the coffee venue, and consisted of identifying the
gender of each patron and characterizing his or her drink order as either healthy or
unhealthy. All orders were identified by either listening to the participants verbalize an
order themselves or by listening to the barista verbally announce the orders. It is
important to note that any patron ordering more than one drink item was excluded
from the study, and no food orders were taken into account.
Results
A chi-square test of independence revealed a significant relationship between
gender and drink order, Χ2(1, N = 96) = 10.60, p < .05. As predicted, males were more
likely to order the standard, unhealthy version of a drink (86.50 %) than a healthy
version (13.50 %), whereas females showed an almost equal tendency to order the
unhealthy version of a drink (48.69 %) and the healthy version (51.61 %). Figure 1
shows the frequencies of healthy and unhealthy beverages ordered by participants.
As depicted in the figure, the proportion of males ordering an unhealthy beverage
dramatically overshadowed the proportion ordering a healthy beverage, whereas
females ordered healthy and unhealthy drinks in approximately equal proportions.
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Healthy
50
Unhealthy
40
Drinks Ordered
The goal of the present study was to explore the relationship between gender and
health-conscious decisions, particularly in the realm of beverages. Based on the notion
that females are generally more preoccupied with their health, it was hypothesized that
females would be more likely than would males to order a healthy beverage than an
unhealthy beverage. To investigate this relationship, a naturalistic observation study
was conducted in a popular coffee shop in central Texas. The drink orders of 96 patrons
(34 males, 62 females) were classified as either healthy or unhealthy. As predicted, the
results revealed a relationship between participants’ orders and their gender, such that
females were significantly more likely than males to order a healthy version of a drink.
Our findings suggest that health-food advertising may be reaching a primarily female
population.
Method
Drinks Ordered
Abstract
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0
Male
Female
Gender
Overall, our findings substantiate the hypothesis that gender predicts the
healthiness of beverage choice. In fact, gender differences were pronounced, as females
were nearly three times more likely than were males to order a healthy alternative of a
particular beverage. Importantly, our study confirms that relative to males, females tend to
be healthier consumers and make more health-conscious decisions. This notion is
strongly supported by the findings of previous research, which indicate that females are
more prone to incorporate reduced-fat products into their diets (Alexander & Tupper,
1995). More importantly, the current study extends past findings, confirming that genderpatterned food consumption can be applied to the realm of beverages and is evident in
public settings.
One potential explanation for our findings concerns Aruguete et al.’s (2006)
suggestion that men and women differ according to their health concerns, such that
women perceive a stronger link between diet and health than do men. Thus, perhaps the
females in our study, more so than the males, perceived a beverage with a healthy
modification as more beneficial to their health than a standard option with normal fat,
sugar, and calorie content. Another underlying explanation for our findings may be the
issue of body image. A wealth of research shows that women (compared to men)
perceive their actual figure as smaller than the ideal, perhaps a result of societal
messages that equate a woman’s thinness to her beauty (Fallon & Rozin, 1985;
Tiggeman, 2006). Whereas beauty standards certainly exist for both genders, Aruguete et
al. (2006) reported that females internalize these standards and impose them on
themselves, whereas men externalize them and utilize them to judge others.
Although the results of the present study are promising, several limitations warrant
mention. First, as this study incorporated a naturalistic observation design, no causal
relationship between gender and drink order can be inferred. Furthermore, the setting of
the observations, although ideal for reducing reactivity, was not conducive to clearly
identifying a customer’s order. Finally, the patrons’ knowledge of the menu was not
controlled for, which introduces a potential element of bias in the study; that is, drink
orders may have been due to patrons’ lack of knowledge about the menu rather than a
particular desire to be healthy or unhealthy.
Despite these limitations, the relationship between gender and food consumption
is a viable avenue for further investigation. One possible extension of the current study
would be to explore gender differences across ethnicities, races, and religions to identify
any factors that moderate the gender gap observed here. Additionally, the situational
factors involved in eating behavior--such as the role of audience, setting, and occasion-may prove to be a fruitful topic of research. Hopefully, the exploration of gender-related
eating habits will provide further insight into society’s current fixation with food
consumption and will have implications for the marketing strategies of the food and
restaurant industries.