Abstract:
This study aimed to compare the health behavior, self-reported health status and body
mass index among vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The cross-sectional study was
carried out in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Participants were 60 vegetarians and
60 non-vegetarians adults aged from 18-59. Data were collected by using the
questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 16. Mann-Whitney U Test was
used to analyze the comparison among the groups with continuous variables while
Chi-square tabulation test was used to analyze the categorical variables. Results
showed that for the dietary behavior, there were no significant different in term of the
eating pattern between the groups. However, it was found that vegetarians always
keep down the intake of salt, fat and sugar compared to non-vegetarians. For the food
frequency score, vegetarians had a higher consumption of fruits ( 61. 7 5% vs 3 9 .31 %,
respectively) and vegetables (81.64% vs 64.38%, respectively) than non vegetarians.
In contrast, non-vegetarians had a higher consumption of animal products such as
chicken than non-vegetarians (56.94% vs 12.50%, respectively). Moreover, non
vegetarians also had a higher consumption of fast food and salted food than non
vegetarians.
