A Comprehensive Examination of Vegan Lifestyle in Italy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Participants
- Italian nationality
- Adopting a vegan diet for more than 365 days
- Over 18 years of age
2.2. Data Assessment
2.3. Data Analysis and Statistics
3. Results
3.1. Study Participants
3.2. Sample Characteristics
3.2.1. Weight Status
3.2.2. Type of Vegan Diet
3.2.3. Medical Conditions
3.3. Vegan Choice: MAIN Motivation
3.4. Vegan Diet in the Family
3.4.1. Children
3.4.2. Weaning
3.4.3. Exceptions
3.5. Frequencies
3.6. Lifestyle
3.6.1. Physical Activity, Tobacco and Alcohol
3.6.2. Medical Aspects
3.7. Relationship with Professionals in Nutrition
3.8. Source of Nutritional Knowledge
4. Discussion
Limitations of the Study
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Total Subjects, % | 100.0% (2180) |
---|---|
Females, % | 90.2% |
Males, % | 8.4% |
Others 1, % | 1.4% |
Age, years (median ± SD 2, range) | 28 ± 8.9 |
Height, cm (median ± SD 2, range) | 165.0 ± 7.6 (145–203) |
Weight, kg (median ± SD 2, range) | 58.0 ± 10.7 (37–135) |
Total weight status | n = 2180 |
BMI 3, kg/m2 (mean ± SD 2, range) | 21.8 ± 3.4 (14.7–45.1) |
Underweight, % (BMI 3 < 18.5) | 10.0% |
Normal weight, % (BMI 3 18.5–24.9) | 77.0% |
Overweight, % (BMI 3 25–29.9) | 10.2% |
Obesity, % (BMI 3 > 30) | 2.9% |
Geographical area | |
North-West Italy, % | 38.8% |
North-East Italy, % | 27.3% |
Central Italy, % | 16.0% |
South Italy, % | 7.9% |
Italian islands, % | 4.3% |
Abroad, % | 5.8% |
Marital status | |
Engaged, % | 31.6% |
Single, % | 28.0% |
Cohabit, % | 21.7% |
Married, % | 15.0% |
Divorced, % | 1.5% |
Widowed, % | 0.1% |
Polyamorous relationship, % | 0.1% |
Profession | |
Full-time employee, % | 32.9% |
Student, % | 31.9% |
Freelance worker, % | 13.5% |
Part-time employee, % | 10.0% |
Unemployed, % | 4.4% |
Housewife, % | 2.2% |
Student worker, % | 1.9% |
Retired, % | 0.4% |
Education | |
High school diploma, % | 42.3% |
Bachelor, % | 24.2% |
MA/MSc, % | 27.8% |
Secondary school diploma, % | 3.8% |
PhD, % | 1.7% |
Percentage (%) | |
---|---|
Total | 100.0% (2180) |
Environmental sustainability | 21.2% |
Health and general wellbeing | 14.5% |
Health (suffering from a chronic illness) | 1.3% |
Ethics/animal rights | 61.2% |
Food preferences | 0.8% |
Foods scandals | 0.01% |
Social influence (from friends, relatives, partner, etc.) | 0.4% |
Social justice/world’s hunger | 0.5% |
Curiosity/current trend | 0.01% |
Religious and spiritual beliefs | 0.0% |
Food | Frequency % (Total Population n = 2180) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
>1/Day | 1/Day | 3–5/Week | 1/Week | 1 Every 2 Weeks | 1/Month | Never | |
Fruit and vegetables | 89.2% | 8.1% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.01% |
Cereals (pasta, rice, bread…) | 75.9% | 19.7% | 3.7% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
Legumes (beans, lentils…) | 42.9% | 41.0% | 14.5% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Soy products (tofu, tempeh…) | 22.3% | 37.8% | 30.0% | 6.6% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
Seeds and dried fruit | 25.0% | 43.4% | 21.0% | 6.3% | 2.2% | 1.4% | 0.6% |
Extra virgin olive oil | 74.2% | 20.2% | 3.1% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
Sugary drinks (Coca-Cola, Sprite…) | 0.6% | 0.6% | 3.1% | 14.6% | 9.9% | 20.3% | 51.0% |
Other vegetable oils (corn, peanut…) | 3.6% | 9.2% | 21.2% | 27.2% | 12.0% | 15.9% | 10.9% |
Industrial and packaged products (cookies, chips) | 3.1% | 16.8% | 24.1% | 27.3% | 9.3% | 12.9% | 6.5% |
Fried foods | 0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 19.2% | 22.6% | 39.0% | 15.4% |
Meat alternatives (meatballs, burgers…) | 0.5% | 2.7% | 20.4% | 40.9% | 14.3% | 13.1% | 8.3% |
Coconut oil-based cheese substitutes | 0.2% | 0.5% | 6.1% | 15.0% | 15.3% | 27.0% | 35.9% |
Nuts-based cheeses | 0.2% | 0.8% | 4.7% | 11.9% | 12.7% | 29.1% | 40.6% |
Frozen ready meals (pizza, lasagna…) | 0.01% | 0.4% | 2.4% | 12.9% | 10.1% | 23.5% | 50.5% |
Preserved ready products (hummus, noodles…) | 0.01% | 0.7% | 5.9% | 10.9% | 11.6% | 20.7% | 51.1% |
High-protein products (bars, protein powder) | 0.5% | 3.2% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 9.3% | 72.7% |
Meal replacements | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 96.2% |
Supplement | Regularly % | Occasionally % | By Prescription % | Never % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vitamin B12 | 89.0% | 6.3% | 0.9% | 3.7% |
Vitamin D | 28.9% | 16.8% | 9.3% | 45.0% |
Omega 3 (EPA 1/DHA 2) | 8.2% | 11.1% | 1.7% | 79.1% |
Iron | 4.2% | 7.6% | 7.3% | 80.9% |
Calcium | 1.8% | 4.0% | 1.3% | 92.9% |
Multivitamin | 6.0% | 18.1% | 2.8% | 73.1% |
Protein powder/BCAA 3/EAA 4 | 5.7% | 9.0% | 0.6% | 84.7% |
Other | 5.6% | 4.4% | 1.8% | 88.1% |
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Stenico, A.; Zarantonello, D.; Vittadello, F.; Kob, M. A Comprehensive Examination of Vegan Lifestyle in Italy. Nutrients 2024, 16, 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010086
Stenico A, Zarantonello D, Vittadello F, Kob M. A Comprehensive Examination of Vegan Lifestyle in Italy. Nutrients. 2024; 16(1):86. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010086
Chicago/Turabian StyleStenico, Annachiara, Diana Zarantonello, Fabio Vittadello, and Michael Kob. 2024. "A Comprehensive Examination of Vegan Lifestyle in Italy" Nutrients 16, no. 1: 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010086