Title:

Exploring the Nutrient Intake of Female College Students following a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet

Title: Exploring the Nutrient Intake of Female College Students following a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet Lucy Ward and Jesse Stabile Morrell Objectives: Compare the dietary intake and nutrients of concern between female students who consume vegetarian/vegan diets vs. matched students not following a plant-based diet. Methods: Data were collected from one academic year, 2020-21, using the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey, an ongoing cross-sectional study at a public northeastern university. Female participants were recruited from an introductory nutrition course taken by all majors as general education, ages 18-24 years. Participants self-reported following a vegetarian or vegan dietary pattern in an online questionnaire (Qualtrics). Non-vegetarian/vegan students (2:1) were randomly matched according to age, BMI group, major, smoking status, and living accommodations. Nutrient intake was calculated from 3-day food records after students completed educational sessions related to portion size estimation. Food records were reviewed for errors after completion and analyzed via analysis software (Diet and Wellness+). Nutrients of concern for vegetarians (vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and calcium) were categorized using their respective age-specific RDAs for females (meeting or not meeting recommendations). Differences between dietary patterns and meeting RDA intake was measured using chi-squared (p <.05). Mean differences between nutrient intake were examined using independent t- tests (p<.05 and CI 95%), but not significant. ANCOVA was used to analysis nutrient intake, using eating competence and vitamin supplementation as covariates, but not significant (p<.05). Results: Of the final sample (n=177), 10.2% (n=18) reported following a vegetarian/vegan diet. After adding participants 2:1 with non-vegetarian matches, 100% of participants failed to meet recommendations for Vit D, 85.2 for calcium, 87% for iron, and 68.5% for vit B12. No differences were observed in those meeting recommendations between vegetarian/vegan vs. non-vegetarian participants (all p>.05). Collectively 72% and 58% of vegetarians and non-vegetarians, respectively, failed to meet any of the RDAs (p=.562). No significance (p>.05) was seen when measuring individual micronutrient intake, while adjusting for eating competence and supplementation. Conclusions: Most students failed to meet recommendations for nutrients. No differences were observed between students following a vegetarian/vegan diet vs. those who were not. Findings demonstrate the need for nutrition education for young adults regardless of their reported dietary patterns. Funding Source: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.

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