Table 1.
Demographic and health characteristics of Australian vegan women aged 18–44 years (n 1530) compared with women of comparable age in the general population of Australia(45,49,75–84)
| Characteristic (categories) | Vegan women 18–44 years (%) | General Australian population, women 18–44 years (%)* | P value† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birthplace | |||
| Australia | 82·7 | 68·7(75) | <0·001 |
| Outside Australia | 17·3 | 31·3 | <0·001 |
| Language at home | |||
| English | 97·4 | 86·3(76) | <0·001 |
| Other | 2·6 | 13·7 | <0·001 |
| Education | |||
| Completed year 12 | 87·0 | 79·1(77) | <0·001 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 31·5 | 26·6 | <0·001 |
| Completed postgrad. studies | 21·5 | 10·3 | <0·001 |
| SEIFA index | |||
| 1–3 (low) | 12·7 | Not available | |
| 4–7 (medium) | 31·9 | Not available | |
| 8–10 (high) | 55·4 | Not available | |
| Anthropometric‡ | (79) | ||
| Height (cm) | Mean = 166·5 | Mean = 162·7 | <0·001 |
| Weight (kg) | Mean = 66·2 | Mean = 69·6 | <0·001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | Mean = 23·5 | Mean = 26·2 | <0·001 |
| <18·5 (underweight) | 6·4 | 2·6 | <0·001 |
| 18·5–24·99 (healthy weight range) | 64·0 | 47·9 | <0·001 |
| 25–29·99 (overweight) | 19·0 | 27·6 | <0·001 |
| 30–34·99 (obese) | 6·5 | 13·2 | <0·001 |
| 35–39·99 | 2·4 | 5·1 | <0·001 |
| ≥40 | 1·6 | 4·2 | <0·001 |
| Total obese | 10·6 | 22·0 | <0·001 |
| Total overweight or obese | 29·6 | 49·7 | <0·001 |
| Self-assessed health, age 25–44 years (n 971) | (84) | ||
| Excellent/very good | 63·9 | 62·0 | ns |
| Good | 28·0 | 29·0 | ns |
| Fair/poor | 8·1 | 9·0 | ns |
| Food security (household) | (83) | ||
| Ran out of food and could not afford to buy more | 5·4 | 4·0 | 0·004 |
| Went without food | 2·3 | 1·5 | 0·008 |
| Smoking daily | 4·8 | 11·1(78) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol use | |||
| Consumed alcohol in past 12 months | 85·1 | 82·6(49) | 0·01 |
| Exceeded alcohol short-term risk§ | 49·1 | 41·4(49) | <0·001 |
| Vegetable & fruit intake | |||
| Veg intake meets guidelines‖ | 37·0 | 7·1(79) | <0·001 |
| Fruit intake meets guidelines¶ | 67·8 | 50·3(80) | <0·001 |
| Intake of both fruit & veg meets guidelines | 28·0 | 5·8 | <0·001 |
| Salt use | |||
| Used in cooking ‘very often” or occasionally’ | 71·4 | 50·1(81) | <0·001 |
| Used at table ‘very often” or “occasionally’ | 58·0 | 30·2(81) | <0·001 |
| Uses iodised salt in cooking | 34·4 | 31·0(81) | 0·005 |
| Uses iodised salt at table | 20·3 | 20·1(81) | ns |
| Use of nutrient supplements** | |||
| Took any nutrient supplements | 85·0 | 35·5(82) | <0·001 |
| Took a multivitamin supplement | 26·0 | 25·5(82) | ns |
ABS, Australian Bureau of Statistics; SEIFA, Socio-Economic Index for Areas, an index of socioeconomic status measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with the higher values indicating greater relative advantage.
*
ABS data.
†
P value determined by t-test.
‡
ABS data based on measured heights and weights, not self-reported.
§
Defined as no more than four standard drinks on any single occasion(37).
‖
At least 375 g/d, not including legumes.
¶
At least 300 g/d.
**
ABS figures based on past week, not past 3 months.