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Abstract

The Prevalence of Vegetarians, Vegans and Other Dietary Patterns That Exclude Some Animal-Sourced Foods in a Representative Sample of New Zealand Adults †

by
James Greenwell
1,*,
Megan Grant
1,
Leanne Young
2,
Sally Mackay
3 and
Kathryn E. Bradbury
2
1
Public Health Agency, Manatū Hauora (Ministry of Health), Wellington 6140, New Zealand
2
National Institute for Health Innovation, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
3
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand 2022, Wellington, New Zealand, 1–2 December 2022.
Med. Sci. Forum 2023, 18(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018011
Published: 10 March 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand 2022)
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
Previous estimates of the prevalence of vegetarians in New Zealand are unreliable. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of vegetarians, vegans and other dietary patterns that exclude some animal-sourced foods in a large representative sample of New Zealand adults. We also examined sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of these dietary patterns. The New Zealand Health Survey is a rolling representative survey of New Zealanders aged 15 years and older. Data from the 2018/19 and 2019/20 waves (in total, n = 23,292) were used for this analysis. Participants were asked if they completely excluded red meat, poultry, fish/shellfish, eggs or dairy from their diets. The rates of prevalence of red meat excluders (2.89%, 95% CI: 2.56–3.22), pescatarians (1.40%, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64), vegetarians (2.04%, 95% CI: 1.77–2.32) and vegans (0.74%, 95% CI: 0.57–0.91) were low. After adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, women (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.22–1.95), Asian people (OR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.96–4.45), people with tertiary education (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.18–2.48) and physically active people (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04–1.76) were found to be more likely to be vegetarian/vegan. Those aged ≥ 75 years (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.14–0.53), those with a higher BMI (OR for every 1 unit increase in BMI = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94–0.98) and current smokers (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23–0.76) were less likely to be vegetarian/vegan. Similar associations were observed between sociodemographic and lifestyle factors and the odds of being a red meat excluder/pescatarian. Approximately 93% of New Zealand adults eat red meat, and a very small number exclude all animal-sourced foods from their diets. The New Zealand Eating and Activity Guidelines recommend a largely plant-based diet, with moderate amounts of animal-sourced foods. A comprehensive national nutrition survey would provide detailed information on the amount of red meat and other animal-sourced foods currently consumed by the New Zealand population.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.G. and M.G.; methodology, J.G.; formal analysis, J.G.; writing—original draft preparation, J.G. and K.E.B.; writing—review and editing, J.G., M.G., L.Y., S.M. and K.E.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

L.Y. was funded by a New Zealand Heart Foundation post-doctoral fellowship (grant number 1830). K.E.B. was funded by a Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (grant number: 19/110).

Institutional Review Board Statement

The New Zealand Health Survey was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the New Zealand Health and Disability Multi-Region Ethics Committee (MEC) (MEC reference: MEC/10/10/103).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Restrictions apply to the availability of these data. Data are available from https://www.stats.govt.nz/integrated-data/apply-to-use-microdata-for-research/confidentialised-unit-record-files-curfs/#Available-CURFS-list (accessed on 9 March 2023) with the permission of StatsNZ.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Greenwell, J.; Grant, M.; Young, L.; Mackay, S.; Bradbury, K.E. The Prevalence of Vegetarians, Vegans and Other Dietary Patterns That Exclude Some Animal-Sourced Foods in a Representative Sample of New Zealand Adults. Med. Sci. Forum 2023, 18, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018011

AMA Style

Greenwell J, Grant M, Young L, Mackay S, Bradbury KE. The Prevalence of Vegetarians, Vegans and Other Dietary Patterns That Exclude Some Animal-Sourced Foods in a Representative Sample of New Zealand Adults. Medical Sciences Forum. 2023; 18(1):11. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018011

Chicago/Turabian Style

Greenwell, James, Megan Grant, Leanne Young, Sally Mackay, and Kathryn E. Bradbury. 2023. "The Prevalence of Vegetarians, Vegans and Other Dietary Patterns That Exclude Some Animal-Sourced Foods in a Representative Sample of New Zealand Adults" Medical Sciences Forum 18, no. 1: 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018011

APA Style

Greenwell, J., Grant, M., Young, L., Mackay, S., & Bradbury, K. E. (2023). The Prevalence of Vegetarians, Vegans and Other Dietary Patterns That Exclude Some Animal-Sourced Foods in a Representative Sample of New Zealand Adults. Medical Sciences Forum, 18(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018011

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