Attitudes and health behaviours of young adolescent omnivores and vegetarians: a school-based study.
This study aimed to identify attitudes, health behaviours, social adjustment and self-reported health of vegetarian and omnivore teenagers and determine characteristics independently related to vegetarian status. Participants were 630 Grade 9 students, ages 13-15 years, in seven schools in Ontario, Canada. Vegetarian status was determined using a 19-item food inventory. The vegetarian group included lacto, ovo and/or lacto-ovo and semi-vegetarians. Omnivores consumed red meat at least monthly. Social adjustment factors included school misbehaviour, low academic performance, authority-defying risks and unsafe/illegal risks. Logistic regression estimated the relationship of characteristics to vegetarian status. The sample comprised 25 vegetarians (4%) and 605 omnivores. Analyses focussed mainly on females; 22 vegetarians and 315 omnivores. Dieting behaviours (current, frequent and past year), alcohol use, poorer social adjustment and poorer self-rated health were positively related to vegetarian eating (p<.05). Among females (using logistic regression), past year dieting (OR 9.88; 95% CI 2.19-44.47) and alcohol use (OR 2.91; 95% CI 1.02-8.32) predominated in the presence of attitudes that personal health and animal rights are very important. The model predicted 79.9% of cases. Teenage vegetarians were distinctive in health behaviours. The independent, positive association of alcohol use with vegetarian eating is a unique and concerning finding. Dieting behaviours were strongly, independently and positively linked to female vegetarian eating. Further studies with a greater range of behaviours would be useful to more fully characterize teenage vegetarians and explore subgroups.
Greene-Finestone
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Centre for Chronic Disease, Public Health Agency of Canada, 785 Carling Ave, A.L. 6805A Ottawa, ON Canada K1A 0K9; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada. linda_greene-finestone@phac-aspc.gc.ca
Campbell
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Evers
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Gutmanis
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D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000827:Animal Welfare; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D009864:Ontario; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires