International article
Lifestyle-related characteristics of young low-meat consumers and omnivores in Sweden and Norway

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00344-0Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the lifestyle-related characteristics of low-meat consumer and omnivore adolescents in Sweden and Norway.

Methods: A total of 2041 students (578 from Umeå, Sweden; 504 from Stockholm, Sweden; and 959 from Bergen, Norway), with a mean age of 15.5 years, completed a questionnaire. Information was collected about physical characteristics, and health, family situation, social, exercise, alcohol, and tobacco habits. The response rate was 95% in Umeå, 91% in Stockholm, and 83% in Bergen. Statistical analyses included Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results: There was no reported difference between low-meat consumers and omnivores with respect to alcohol use, smoking, weight, or amount of exercise. Female low-meat consumers more frequently used smokeless tobacco, reported having more sick days during the last year, attached less importance to “being healthy,” and had been depressed more often than female omnivores. Male low-meat consumers reported, to a greater extent than male omnivores, having been tired without reason, having often had headaches and having been depressed. Female low-meat consumers had parents with a higher average level of education than did female omnivores and more often spent time with friends after school.

Conclusions: Vegetarianism or low-meat consumption is mainly a female phenomenon among adolescents in this study. The study indicates that the lifestyle of young low-meat consumers differs from the lifestyle found in previous studies of vegetarians with respect to the respondents’ exercise habits, their perception of their own health, and their use of alcohol and tobacco. Contrary to findings from other studies, adherence to a low-meat diet may not correlate with other health promotion practices among adolescents in Sweden and Norway.

Section snippets

Subjects

This study was performed in three cities: Umeå in northeastern Sweden (104,000 inhabitants), Stockholm in mid-eastern Sweden (1.8 million inhabitants), and Bergen in western Norway (220,000 inhabitants). Lists of municipal senior secondary schools were obtained from the education authorities and the students were recruited during the autumn of 1996. The Swedish subjects were recruited by a random sample of the ninth-grade classes (with students aged 15 to 16 years) of municipal senior secondary

Results

Of 149 low-meat consumers, 72.5% were females and information about gender was missing for one low-meat consumer. The average response rate for questionnaire items was 96% and the lowest item response rate was 80%. There were no significant differences in age, weight, or height among respondents with different diets or from different cities.

Discussion

The participants in this study were drawn from a population of 15- to 16-year-old students in Umeå, Stockholm, and Bergen. School attendance in the ninth grade is compulsory in the Swedish and Norwegian school systems, and the rate of participation in the study was very high as all students in the classrooms completed the questionnaire. The 24 schools in Bergen ranged in size from one to five classes of ninth graders, so clustering probably reduced precision. However, the schools selected were

Conclusion

Low-meat consumption is mainly a female phenomenon. The results of this study suggest that the lifestyle of young low-meat consumers differs from lifestyles of vegetarians in previous studies in the areas of perception of health, participation in organizations and clubs, frequency of exercise, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use. Contrary to findings in other studies, adherence to a low-meat diet may not correlate with other health promotion practices among adolescents in Sweden and Norway.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Swedish Foundation for Healthcare Science and Allergy Research, Swedish Nutrition Foundation, Research Foundation of Bertil Eriksson, Fund of Uppsala Hemsysterskola, JC Kempes Memorial Fund, and Patentmedelsfonden för odontologisk profylaxforskning.

We thank all the students who participated; Inger Öhlund, Linda Hagfors, and Maria Larsson for valuable help with data entry; and AB PT Datatech Systems Sweden, Peter Tanskanen, and Seppo Salonen for computer

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