Alkhaldy Areej Ali
Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Front Public Health. 2025 May 14;13:1566712. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1566712. eCollection 2025.
The adoption of vegetarian diets is increasing worldwide, including among females in Saudi Arabia. This increase has not yet been explained. The present study explores the factors influencing the intention to follow a vegetarian diet among Saudi women using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework.
An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed between July 2023 and January 2024. A total of 998 Saudi females participated, including both vegetarians ( = 417, 41.8%) and non-vegetarians ( = 581, 58.2%), who answered questions relating to their sociodemographic characteristics, awareness and perceived understanding of vegetarian diets, awareness of and adherence to dietary guidelines, dietary habits, and TPB predictors. Multivariable linear regression was used with dietary guideline awareness, body mass index, self-rated perceived weight, socioeconomic status index, and the TPB constructs as predictors to explain the intention to follow a vegetarian diet (outcome).
Attitude (standardized -coefficient = 0.29, < 0.001), subjective norms (standardized -coefficient = 0.10, < 0.001), and perceived behavioral control (standardized β-coefficient = 0.08, = 0.03) were significantly and positively associated with the intention to follow a vegetarian diet. However, dietary guideline awareness did not significantly influence the intention (standardized -coefficient = -0.04, = 0.1). Socioeconomic status index was negatively correlated with the intention to adopt a vegetarian diet (standardized -coefficient = -0.073, = 0.018). Body mass index showed no significant correlation with vegetarian diet intention (standardized -coefficient = -0.05, = 0.091).
TPB constructs (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) and socioeconomic status influence the intention to adopt a vegetarian diet, although awareness of dietary guidelines and body mass index do not.
全球范围内采用素食饮食的人数正在增加，沙特阿拉伯的女性群体也不例外。这种增长的原因尚未得到解释。本研究运用计划行为理论（TPB）框架，探讨影响沙特女性选择素食饮食意愿的因素。
2023年7月至2024年1月期间，我们开展了一项在线自填式问卷调查。共有998名沙特女性参与，其中包括素食者（n = 417，41.8%）和非素食者（n = 581，58.2%），她们回答了有关社会人口学特征、对素食饮食的认知和理解、对饮食指南的认知与遵循情况、饮食习惯以及TPB预测因素等问题。我们使用多变量线性回归分析，将饮食指南认知、体重指数、自我评估体重、社会经济地位指数以及TPB构念作为预测变量，来解释选择素食饮食的意愿（结果变量）。
态度（标准化β系数 = 0.29，P < 0.001）、主观规范（标准化β系数 = 0.10，P < 0.001）和感知行为控制（标准化β系数 = 0.08，P = 0.03）与选择素食饮食的意愿呈显著正相关。然而，饮食指南认知对意愿没有显著影响（标准化β系数 = -0.04，P = 0.1）。社会经济地位指数与采用素食饮食的意愿呈负相关（标准化β系数 = -0.073，P = 0.018）。体重指数与素食饮食意愿无显著相关性（标准化β系数 = -0.05，P = 0.091）。
TPB构念（态度、主观规范和感知行为控制）以及社会经济地位会影响采用素食饮食的意愿，而饮食指南认知和体重指数则不会。
