Abstract
Background Studies show a reduced risk of chronic diseases among vegetarians. A vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, and legumes is popular among Asian-Indians. The purpose of this study is to determine if race/ethnicity, Asian-Indian and white non-Hispanic (WNH), modifies the association between a vegetarian diet and health behaviors.
Methods Subjects are participants in the CMHS, a multiethnic cohort of 84,170 men 45–69 years of age enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Southern and Northern California (2001–02). Descriptive and multivariable statistics were used to evaluate data from a mailed survey.
Results Vegetarians accounted for 1.4% (736/51,901) of WNHs and 20.4% (124/602) of Asian-Indians. Age was not associated with diet among Asian-Indians, but among WNHs, vegetarian diet was associated with younger age (< 55) (45.1% vs. 31.6%, p < 0.001). Overall, vegetarians reported higher educational attainment, with at least a college degree compared to non-vegetarians (73.1% vs. 52.8%, p < 0.001). All Asian-Indian vegetarians were first generation immigrants, with a majority residing in the U.S. < 15 years (77.4%). In the WNHs, vegetarians were more likely to self-report a healthy weight (51.5% vs. 24.7%, p < 0.001) and less likely to self-report a CVD event (8.2% vs. 11.5%, p < 0.05). However, among the Asian-Indians, there were no differences in BMI or self-reported CVD events. Vegetarians in both groups more often consumed a lower fat diet compared to non-vegetarians [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 3.22 (2.80–3.71)]. Vegetarians reported consuming more fruits and vegetables; however a significant difference wasn’t detected among Asian-Indians. Further, WNH vegetarians reported less sedentary activity [AOR = 0.65 (0.54–0.78)] and more moderate/vigorous physical activity [AOR = 1.87 (1.55–2.25)] than WNH non-vegetarians, however this was not the case among Asian-Indians. Vegetarians in both groups were less likely to report alcohol use or current/ever smoking compared to non-vegetarians.
Discussion Compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians more often reported healthier behaviors including a lower fat diet, higher fruit and vegetable intake, more physical and less sedentary activity. In the Asian-Indian population, these differences were not statistically significant, suggesting that vegetarianism may reflect culture and traditional practice rather than being motivated by a healthy lifestyle.
