| Abstract | Studies assessing the general population's knowledge and attitudes regarding a plant- based diet found that the majority of participants were reluctant to follow the diet. Specific concerns included perceived lack of satiety, low protein content, and undesirable taste. However, there is a lack of research in the university student population. The purpose of this study was to determine university students' general knowledge and attitudes of a whole-foods, plant-based diet. After providing informed consent, participants (N=209) completed a 28-question online research survey via Survey Monkey®. These questions covered four sections: health status, eating habits, knowledge and attitudes towards a whole-foods, plant-based diet, and demographics. Analysis using Pearson correlation coefficients was performed to assess associations between knowledge and attitudes towards a whole-foods, plant-based diet in concordance with participants' health status and eating habits (SPSS, p<0.05). Of the 209 students included in the analysis, 42 (20.1%) were male and 167 (79.9%) were female. 108 students (51.7%) were pursuing health science and nutrition majors, while 101 (48.3%) were pursuing non-health science majors. When asked if they had taken a nutrition course while in university, 98 students (46.9%) answered "yes" and 111 (53.1%) answered "no." Further analysis showed that students who were pursuing health science and nutrition majors were more likely to understand the meaning of the WFPB diet (p<0.01), and students who have taken a nutrition course in college were more likely to be aware of the diet's meaning (p<0.01). Males tended to believe that they needed to eat meat to maintain their health (p<0.01), and they were more likely to disagree that following a plant-based diet would be beneficial to their health (p<0.01). Respondents who had negative attitudes toward a whole-foods, plant-based diet tended to lack knowledge/understanding of the diet. Providing nutrition education about the whole-foods, plant-based diet by registered dietitian nutritionists could result in improved health outcomes among this population. |
