title: Motivations for avoiding wheat consumption in Australia: results from a population survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of and explanations for wheat avoidance, including reported symptoms, diagnoses and information sources influencing the decision to avoid wheat, and to investigate potential psychological predictors of this behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional population survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in Australia, using a nationwide postal omnibus survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults aged 18 years and over (n 1184; 52·9% female) selected at random from the Australian Electoral Roll.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With cases of stated and suspected coeliac disease (1·2%) excluded, 7·3% of the sample reported adverse physiological effects, predominantly gastrointestinal, that they associated with wheat consumption. Few among this group (5·7%) claimed a formally diagnosed intolerance or allergy requiring avoidance of wheat-based foods. Symptomatic wheat avoidance was highly correlated with dairy avoidance and predicted by gender (female), lesser receptiveness to conventional medicine and greater receptiveness to complementary medicine, but not by neuroticism, reasoning style or tendency to worry about illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data indicate that many adult Australians are consciously avoiding consumption of wheat foods, predominantly without any formal diagnosis. Reported symptoms suggest a physiological but not allergenic basis to this behaviour. Questions to be answered concern whether symptoms are attributed correctly to wheat, the agents (wheat components, dietary factors or additives) and physiological mechanism(s) involved, the nutritional adequacy of avoiders' diets, and the clinical and psychosocial processes that lead a substantial number of adults to avoid consuming wheat (or any other dietary factor) apparently independently of a medical diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: 1CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship,Adelaide BC,South Australia,Australia.
authors.forename: Sinéad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golley
authors.affiliation: 1CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship,Adelaide BC,South Australia,Australia.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Corsini
authors.affiliation: 1CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship,Adelaide BC,South Australia,Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Topping
authors.affiliation: 2CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory,Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morell
authors.affiliation: 3School of Psychology,University of Adelaide,Adelaide,SA 5005,Australia.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohr
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005433:Flour / Q000009:adverse effects; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D012639:Seeds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012648:Self Care; D012737:Sex Factors; D014908:Triticum / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Coeliac disease; Gluten sensitivity; Health decision making; Wheat avoidance
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