ANALYZING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR TOWARD FOOD WASTE IN QATAR

Abstract

Food waste is a major issue in many countries due to the impact of waste on the environment_x000D_ and the cost of producing food and water. Food waste not only constitutes a hazard to the_x000D_ environment through the emission of greenhouse gases, but billions of dollars are also lost as_x000D_ a result of production, distribution and waste management costs. In view of this, this study_x000D_ examined factors that have potential to influence intent to waste food and food waste behavior_x000D_ among consumers in Qatar. The main objective of the study was to find a suitable model that_x000D_ explains food waste behavior in Qatar and compare it to an international model in order to_x000D_ understand region specific factors and try to replicate a hypothesized model of the causal_x000D_ effects of some factors (i.e., subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and personal_x000D_ attitude) on intent to waste food and food waste behavior. Three research questions were_x000D_ developed and answers were provided by random selection of 139 respondents from the Qatar_x000D_ Foundation and Georgetown University Qatar databases gathered through a survey with 139_x000D_ complete questionnaires in order to test the hypothesized model, which was created based on_x000D_ literature. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was the main statistical tool of_x000D_ the investigation and was used to carry out the path analysis. The findings of the study revealed_x000D_ that factors, including, planning routine, Ramadan, gender task, and personal norm were strong_x000D_ predictors of intention to waste food and food waste behavior.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering