Exploring the Intention to Adopt a Plant-Based Diet Among Young Korean Adults in Their 20s: Focusing on Barriers and Benefits.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the determinants influencing participants' intention to adopt a plant-based diet, focusing on the perceived barriers and benefits. Furthermore, gender differences in those determinants were analyzed.

Design: An online survey from April 27, 2022, to May 1, 2022.

Setting: South Korea.

Participants: A total of 1,478 responses from young Korean adults in their 20s.

Variables measured: Participants' intention to adopt a plant-based diet, perceived barriers and benefits toward the intention, and sociodemographics ANALYSIS: Hierarchical logistic regressions at the significance level of 0.05.

Results: The results of hierarchical logistic regressions showed that the intention to adopt a plant-based diet was significantly determined by gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.782, P < 0.001), perceived barriers (taste and satiety: OR = 0.678, P = 0.002) and benefits (healthfulness: OR = 1.713, P < 0.001; palatability and satisfaction: OR = 1.445, P = 0.003; ethics: OR = 1.293, P = 0.04). In addition, the results revealed significant gender differences in such determinants; for men, the intention was significantly influenced by their perception of the taste-and-satiety barrier (OR = 0.594, P = 0.002) and the healthfulness benefit (OR = 2.054, P < 0.001), whereas, for women, it was done by their perception of the palatability-and-satisfaction (OR = 1.876, P = 0.002), ethics (OR = 1.598, P = 0.02), and convenience-and-finance (OR = 0.689, P = 0.01) benefits.

Conclusion and implications: The study results imply that strategies are needed to not only tackle the perceived barrier of taste and satiety but also leverage the benefits of healthfulness, palatability and satisfaction, and ethics, taking into consideration gender differences to promote a plant-based diet among young adults.