Integrating TPB and gamification to promote green eating behaviors: A case study of food carbon footprint tracking system

Abstract

With the evolution of research on sustainability, human daily life behaviors were found to affect the environment aside from industry. Food-related carbon emissions account for about 30% of the total carbon emissions generated by human activities. Measuring and improving dietary behaviors would effectively reduce environmental damage. However, recent research on environmental issues has rarely investigated green eating behaviors because changing behavior is a well-known difficult task. Therefore, we integrated gamification and theory of planned behavior (TPB) in a carbon footprint tracking system with an aim to enhance behavior motivation and establish a framework for green eating intention and behavior that can help users monitor and manage their diet to achieve a better balance between health and the environment. Results from a 30 participants showed the average carbon footprint decreased by 23.1% and both green eating intention and behavior improved significantly. Accordingly, the green eating intention of all subjects increased, indicating that gamification can effectively enhance the impact of a carbon footprint tracking system on green eating intentions and behaviors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that utilized gamification to enhance green eating intention and motivate behavioral change based on TPB framework.