SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALnutrition, public_health

cross-sectional·nutrition, public_health, epidemiology, preventive_medicine, endocrinology, cardiology, psychiatry·PMC10100114

Knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with vegetarianism in the Saudi Population

BMC Public Health · 12 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 88%

POPULATIONSaudi adults aged 18–65 years (N=3,035; 80.2% female, 19.8% male) recruited via social media

INTERVENTIONNot applicable (cross-sectional survey; no intervention)

COMPARISONVegetarians (n=1,197) vs. nonvegetarians (n=1,838)

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This cross-sectional study of 3,035 Saudi adults found that 37.5% self-identified as vegetarian, with health concerns (72.5%) being the primary motivator, followed by ethical (59.3%) and environmental (47.9%) reasons. Despite the high prevalence, 92.9% of vegetarians had low knowledge about vegetarian nutrition. Factors associated with increased vegetarianism included regular exercise, while being male, older age (51–64), married, higher education, and working in the health sector were associated with lower likelihood of being vegetarian.

Full summary

3,936 CHARS

**Background:** Vegetarianism is gaining global popularity, but data on its prevalence and associated factors in Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, are lacking. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with vegetarianism in the Saudi population.

**Methods:** This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2020 to September 2020. An electronic questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp) using snowball sampling. The questionnaire included sociodemographic questions, reasons for following a vegetarian diet, and beliefs/knowledge about vegetarianism. Knowledge was assessed using four questions; participants answering ≤2 correctly were classified as having low knowledge. Pregnant/lactating women and those with chronic diseases were excluded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, with chi-square tests and multivariate binary logistic regression. Significance was set at P≤0.05.

**Key Results:** Of 3,265 responses collected, 3,035 were completed (93% response rate). Participants were 80.2% female and 19.8% male, aged 18–65 years. The prevalence of self-reported vegetarianism was 37.5% (n=1,197), comprising 15.7% semivegetarians, 8.1% pesco-vegetarians, 64.3% lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and 11.3% vegans. Among vegetarians, 47.6% had followed the diet for 1–5 years. Health reasons were the most common motivator (72.5%), followed by ethical concerns (59.3%) and environmental concerns (47.9%). Other reasons included dislike of meat (33.7%), concerns about hormones in meat (36.9%), weight loss (16.2%), and spiritual reasons (16.2%). Social media was the primary information source for 62.7% of vegetarians. The top challenge was difficulty finding meat/dairy substitutes (17.5%), followed by cultural norms (14.9%). Knowledge levels were low: 92.9% of vegetarians and 64.3% of nonvegetarians had low knowledge. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors significantly associated with increased likelihood of vegetarianism: exercising half an hour/day (OR 1.714, 95% CI 1.414–2.077, P<0.001), one hour/day (OR 2.321, 95% CI 1.872–2.877, P<0.001), and two hours/day (OR 2.321, 95% CI 2.742–5.662, P<0.001). Factors associated with decreased likelihood included: male sex (OR 0.336, 95% CI 0.259–0.434, P<0.001), age 51–64 years (OR 0.204, 95% CI 0.068–0.616, P=0.004), being married (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.341–0.592, P<0.001), higher education (OR 0.419, 95% CI 0.214–0.819, P=0.011), working in the health sector (OR 0.542, 95% CI 0.337–0.872, P=0.012), being a housewife (OR 0.507, 95% CI 0.277–0.931, P=0.028), and income of 5,000–10,000 SR/month (OR 0.637, 95% CI 0.472–0.861, P=0.003). Vegetarians had significantly higher rates of depression (P<0.001) and anxiety (P<0.001), while nonvegetarians had higher rates of anemia (P<0.001), thyroid disorders (P=0.002), diabetes (P=0.033), CVD/hypertension (P=0.017), and abnormal lipid profiles (P<0.001).

**Clinical Implications:** This first-of-its-kind study in Saudi Arabia reveals a substantial prevalence of self-reported vegetarianism (37.5%), though this may reflect selection bias. The very low knowledge levels (92.9% of vegetarians) highlight a critical need for evidence-based nutritional education, particularly given the risk of deficiencies in vitamin B12, iron, and calcium. The association between vegetarianism and higher rates of depression/anxiety warrants further investigation, possibly related to nutrient deficiencies. Conversely, the lower prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases among vegetarians supports potential health benefits. Healthcare providers should proactively assess dietary patterns, provide guidance on balanced vegetarian nutrition, and monitor for potential deficiencies. Public health initiatives through the Ministry of Health could improve vegetarian nutrition literacy and expand vegetarian food options in Saudi society.

PICO

PPOPULATION

Saudi adults aged 18–65 years (N=3,035; 80.2% female, 19.8% male) recruited via social media

IINTERVENTION

Not applicable (cross-sectional survey; no intervention)

OOUTCOME

Prevalence of vegetarianism, knowledge levels, attitudes, motivators, and sociodemographic factors associated with vegetarian diet adoption

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

nutrition

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

88% · B

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10100114

Knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with vegetarianism in the Saudi Population

BMC Public Health

READ THE FULL PAPER

JUMP TO SECTION

ABSTRACT

Background In recent years, there has been great interest in the dietary practices of vegetarians in addition to an increasing awareness of the potential benefits of vegetarian diets. However, there are insufficient data on the spread of vegetarianism in Arab countries. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge and attitudes about vegetarianism and associated factors in the Saudi population and to understand the reasons for its growing prevalence. Method This is a cross-sectional study began in May 2020 and ended in September 2020. Researchers distributed the questionnaire electronically through social media. Data were collected electronically and exported to Excel by the researchers .The electronic questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic questions, reasons for following a vegetarian diet, and beliefs and knowledge about vegetarianism. Results There were 3,035 responses, of which 80.2% of respondents were female and 19.8% were male. Participant were aged 18–65. Vegetarians represented 37.5% (15.7% semivegetarians, 8.1% pescovegetarians, 64.3% lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and 11.3% vegans), and the rest were nonvegetarians. The majority of the vegetarian participants (92.9%) had a low vegetarianism knowledge level. Health issues, followed by ethical and environmental concerns, were the most common motivators for adopting a vegetarian diet; these reasons were cited by 72.5%, 59.3%, and 47.9% of participants, respectively. Factors associated with increased vegetarianism were engaging in exercise for half an hour to two hours, while factors associated with decreased vegetarianism were male, aged 51–64 years, being married, having a higher education, working in the health sector, being a housewife, and having an income between 5,000 and 10,000 SR/month. Conclusion Vegetarianism appears to be a growing phenomenon among the Saudi population. Increased awareness of health issues and the desire to live a healthy lifestyle might be the strongest motives. This study offers an opportunity to better understand vegetarianism in Saudi Arabia along with the possibility of expanding vegetarian food choices for the general public.

CITATION EXPORT

Wedad Azhar, Sanaa Aljabiri, Taqwa Bushnaq et al.. Knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with vegetarianism in the Saudi Population. BMC Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15636-5

AUTHORS

12 · 2 CENTRES

Wedad Azhar, Sanaa Aljabiri, Taqwa Bushnaq, Firas S. Azzeh, Reema A. Alyamani, Sarah O. Alkholy, Walaa E. Alhassani, Wafaa F. Abusudah, Alaa Qadhi, Hassan M. Bukhari, Elsayed H. Bakr, Khloud Ghafouri

1grid.412832.e0000 0000 9137 6644Clinical Nutrition Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
2grid.412895.30000 0004 0419 5255Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia