Vegetarian diets: Obesity prejudice and body self-perception relations in young females

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In recent years, plant-based diets and their effects on health have gained attention. This diet has become a preferred dietary style for managing obesity. Weight gain is influenced by various factors, such as low body image perception and obesity prejudice. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of plant-based diets among female students and their associations with obesity prejudice and body self-perception. METHODS: The research was conducted with 450 female university students. The anthropometric measurements were obtained based on self-reporting. the GAMS-27 Obesity Prejudice Scale and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relationship Questionnaire (MBSRQ) were applied to evaluate obesity prejudice and body self-perception, respectively. RESULTS: The study found no significant differences in anthropometric measurements between omnivores and vegetarians (p > 0.05). However, 78.6% of the students showed some level of tendency toward prejudice or prejudice against obesity. There was no significant relationship between body weight, BMI, and obesity prejudice in both dietary groups (p > 0.05). Yet, vegetarians had significantly lower mean scores on the MBRSQ, indicating body image dissatisfaction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While the anthropometric measurement and prejudice against obesity did not yield notable results, significantly lower scores on the MBSRQ indicated greater dissatisfaction with body image in vegetarians.