Objective: The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Design: Mail survey that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Setting: Victoria, Australia. Subjects: Four hundred and fifteen randomly selected Victorian adults. Results: The main perceived barrier to adoption of a plant-based diet was a lack of information about plant-based diets (42% agreement). Sex, age and education differences were present in over a quarter of the barrier items. For example, non-university-educated respondents and older people were less willing to change their current eating pattern than were university educated and younger respondents. The main benefits associated with plant-based diets were health benefits, particularly decreased saturated fat intake (79% agreement), increased fibre intake (76%), and disease prevention (70%). Age, sex and education differences with regard to benefits were apparent, although sex differences were more important than age or education differences. Conclusions: The majority of respondents perceived there to be health benefits associated with the consumption of a plant-based diet. Compared with the proportion of respondents who agreed that there were particular benefits of eating a plant-based diet, perceived barriers were relatively low. An understanding of the perceived benefits and barriers of consuming a plant-based diet will help formulate strategies that aim to influence beliefs about plant foods, plant food consumption, and, ultimately, public health. © 2006 Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Nutrition and Dietetics
Research Field:	Nutrition and Dietetics not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health)
Objective Field:	Nutrition
UTAS Author:	Lea, EJ (Dr Emma Lea)
ID Code:	48830
Year Published:	2006
Web of Science® Times Cited:	46
Deposited By:	Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Deposited On:	2007-11-28
Last Modified:	2011-10-04
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