Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Spring 2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Health Sciences
Advisor(s)
Jeremy D. Akers
Elizabeth Edwards
Sarah Carson
Abstract
Studies reveal there are many health benefits to following a vegetarian diet such as lower body mass index (BMI) compared to non-vegetarians, and lowered risk for obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between consuming vegetarian meals and the academic success and health status of college students. All undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at James Madison University during the Fall 2013 semester were contacted to participate in an online questionnaire. Seven hundred and twenty eight students enrolled during the 2013-2014 school year participated in the online questionnaire. In comparison to non-vegetarians, vegetarians reported that their overall health was better (3.74+0.09 out of 5 vs. 3.54+0.03 out of 5) and they participated in more days of cardiorespiratory physical activity per week (4.48+0.2 days vs. 3.54+0.08 days). The most noted reasons for following a vegetarian diet were to improve overall health (74.3%) and environmental concerns (70.3%). The majority of college vegetarians exclude beef (96%), pork (96%), and poultry (92%) from their diets. Additional research involving an increased heterogeneous sample on variables such as gender, race/ethnicity, and BMI, would provide further insight into the relationship between vegetarian diets and academic success.
Recommended Citation
Jochem, Sarah Marie, "Vegetarian meal consumption and the influence on college success and health" (2014). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 433.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/433
