Status of vegetarianism and related factors among college students in Hanoi in 2023

Objectives: The study aims to depict the current vegetarianism status among Hanoi students from 18 to 24 years old in 2023 and analyze various factors related to the vegetarianism patterns of Hanoi students in the same year. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive research method is used for the study. The survey was conducted from October to November 2023 in Hanoi. Our study described and analyzed data from 327 students aged 18-24, enrolled in colleges/ universities. Results: Research revealed that 45.3% of the participants were vegetarians, with 15.5% following a vegetarian diet consistently and 84.5% adopting it periodically. The most common vegetarian choices included eggs and/or dairy (65.5%). Additionally, 44.6% opted for vegetarianism based on taste preferences, while 27.0% cited animal protection as a motivation. Conclusion: Religious individuals were more likely to be vegetarians, with a significant difference of 12.8% compared to non-religious individuals (p<0.05). Moreover, the use of alcoholic beverages was higher among the vegetarian group (70.3%) compared to the non-vegetarian group (57%), showing statistical significance (p<0.05). A significant difference in strenuous physical activity was also observed between the two groups, with 87.2% in the vegetarian group and 75.4% in the non-vegetarian group (p<0.05). Keywords: Vegetarianism, Vegetarian diet, Status of nutrition, Students.