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Study Protocol

Can Dietary Supplements Be Linked to a Vegan Diet and Health Risk Modulation During Vegan Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood? The VedieS Study Protocol for an Explorative, Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study

by
Wolfgang Huber-Schneider
1,
Karl-Heinz Wagner
1,* and
Ingrid Kiefer
2
1
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
2
Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety GmbH, Spargelfeldstraße 191, 1220 Vienna, Austria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(8), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081210
Submission received: 17 May 2025 / Revised: 17 July 2025 / Accepted: 23 July 2025 / Published: 31 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holistic Approach to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum Period)

Abstract

As veganism becomes more popular, the number of vegan pregnant women and children is steadily increasing. During vegan pregnancy and early childhood, there is a high risk for nutrient deficiencies that may impair child development. External factors, such as healthcare advice, social networks, and social environments, that affect the diet of vegan pregnant women, parents, and their children, as well as their approach towards dietary supplementation, have not yet been investigated. Various sources of information, combined with a lack of expertise, sparse food and nutritional health literacy, and qualitatively heterogeneous information provision by medical experts, unsettle vegan pregnant women and parents and affect their dietary choices and potentially the health of their children. The VedieS study aims to investigate potential connections between external influences and associated impacts on a vegan diet and the intake of dietary supplements (DS) of pregnant women and children. Two surveys are being conducted within the study: one targeting 1000 vegan pregnant women and parents, and another targeting 60 experts in each of five healthcare groups: gynecologists, pediatricians, general practitioners, pharmacists, and dietitians. This study is the first to examine how socio-economic, social, and further informational factors influence dietary practices during vegan pregnancy and childhood. It highlights the need for reliable, expert-led guidance, as current information sources are often inconsistent and may put these vulnerable groups at risk.
Keywords: vegan diet supplements; childhood; pregnancy gynecologist; physician pediatrician; pharmacist; dietician vegan diet supplements; childhood; pregnancy gynecologist; physician pediatrician; pharmacist; dietician

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Huber-Schneider, W.; Wagner, K.-H.; Kiefer, I. Can Dietary Supplements Be Linked to a Vegan Diet and Health Risk Modulation During Vegan Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood? The VedieS Study Protocol for an Explorative, Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081210

AMA Style

Huber-Schneider W, Wagner K-H, Kiefer I. Can Dietary Supplements Be Linked to a Vegan Diet and Health Risk Modulation During Vegan Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood? The VedieS Study Protocol for an Explorative, Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(8):1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081210

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huber-Schneider, Wolfgang, Karl-Heinz Wagner, and Ingrid Kiefer. 2025. "Can Dietary Supplements Be Linked to a Vegan Diet and Health Risk Modulation During Vegan Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood? The VedieS Study Protocol for an Explorative, Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 8: 1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081210

APA Style

Huber-Schneider, W., Wagner, K.-H., & Kiefer, I. (2025). Can Dietary Supplements Be Linked to a Vegan Diet and Health Risk Modulation During Vegan Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood? The VedieS Study Protocol for an Explorative, Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(8), 1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081210

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