Dietary intake among young adolescents in Ontario: associations with vegetarian status and attitude toward health.

Background: This study aimed to describe the dietary intakes of adolescent vegetarians and omnivores and determine if, and how, attitude toward personal health related to food consumption.

Methods: Among grade 9 students in Ontario, Canada (n = 630), vegetarian status and estimated consumption of foods and food groups were determined by food frequency questionnaire. Personal health was self-categorized as very important (the "health conscious") or somewhat/not important (the "non-health conscious").

Results: The prevalence of vegetarianism was 6.5% (CI = 4.6-8.4%) among females and 1.0% (CI = 0.2-1.8%) among males. Health-conscious omnivores consumed more grain, vegetables and fruit, and milk product than non-health-conscious omnivores (P < 0.05). Health-conscious vegetarians ingested more grain products, vegetables and fruit, and meat and alternatives than non-health-conscious vegetarians (P < 0.05). Among non-health-conscious vegetarians, none consumed two daily servings of meat and alternatives compared to 60.5% of non-health-conscious omnivores (P < 0.001). Among health-conscious vegetarians, milk product consumption was lower than that of health-conscious omnivores (P = 0.015).

Conclusions: Large proportions of both vegetarian and omnivore adolescents consumed suboptimal diets. Health consciousness had value as an indicator of dietary adequacy and may be useful as a rudimentary screen for problematic dietary consumption patterns.