Religiosity, dietary habit, intake of fruit and vegetable, and vegetarian status among Seventh-Day Adventists in West Malaysia

Min Min Tan, Carina K.Y. Chan, Daniel D. Reidpath

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Religion has been shown to be salutary on health, and a possible link between religion and positive health outcomes is diet. Research has shown that religiosity is associated with better diet but most studies were conducted in a multi-denominational context, which might be confounded with theological differences. This study examined the relationship between religiosity and diet within a homogenous group of believers. Data from survey of 574 Seventh-Day Adventists residing in West Malaysia, aged 18–80, were analyzed using multiple regressions. While none of the religious variables were significantly associated with fruit and vegetable intake, a higher level of religiosity was associated with a better dietary habit and vegetarian status. The mixed relationship between religiosity and diet suggest that further research is needed to explore how religion might influence the diet of adherents.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)675-686
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Behavioral Medicine
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2016

Keywords

  • Diet
  • Fruit and vegetable intake
  • Religion
  • Religiosity
  • Spirituality
  • Vegetarian

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