Californian Public University Students’ Attitudes, Beliefs, and Barriers to Plant-Based Nutrition

Adopting a plant-based diet (PBD) has environmental sustainability benefits and has been shown to improve overall health and quality of life, yet for most people a diet shift towards a plant-based one remains a challenge, due to personal and environmental obstacles. Important independent decisions on self-care and nutritional habits occur in the first year of enrollment for college students. This cross-sectional quantitative study aims to examine the association between health beliefs, motivators, barriers, self-efficacy, and mental health status and following a more PBD in college students. A total of 449 Californian public university and junior college students completed an online survey. A stepwise multiple regression model was used to predict the level of intention to follow a PBD. Self-efficacy ( β = 0.28, P < .001), motivators ( β = 0.33, P < .001), and barriers ( β = −0.19, P < .001) significantly predicted and accounted for 35% of the variance in intention to follow a PBD. The results reveal that greater self-efficacy, higher motivation, and fewer barriers predicted higher intention to follow a PBD. Beliefs did not add significantly to following a PBD.