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A Feasibility Assessment of Measuring Acceptance and Adherence to a Plant-Based (Vegan) Diet in a Cardiology Clinic
L Smillie1, M Minehan1, C R Knight-Agarwal1
1Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Canberra, Bruce, Australia.
Background:
Plant-based vegan diets (PBVDs) improve cardiometabolic risk markers, hence are recommended as an adjunct treatment by some cardiologists. To complete a service evaluation, practical measures of dietary adherence are required, and perceptions of patients need to be considered.
Methods:
A single-arm, mixed-methods design was used to assess the feasibility of using two diet indices to assess adherence to a PBVD and the acceptability of adopting a PBVD in a cardiac outpatient setting. Diet adherence was measured via absence of proscribed foods (APF) and a plant-based vegan diet score (PBVD-S). Acceptability of the PBVD was assessed via individual interviews and a food acceptability questionnaire.
Results:
Twenty patients completed the dietary assessment. After 8 weeks, 55% (n = 11) were classified as fully adherent to the PBVD. Mean score for the PBVD-S increased from 20.3 ± 8.7 at baseline to 38.9 ± 5.8 at Week 8. Mean total cholesterol (TC), body mass index (BMI), body mass, and waist circumference significantly decreased (p < 0.001) after 8 weeks on the PBVD. The PBVD-S satisfied the feasibility criteria of alignment with diet education and assessment of adherence. The PBVD was rated as either "moderately" or "extremely" acceptable by 80% of patients.
Conclusions:
The PBVD-S is a feasible option for assessing adherence and diet quality of a PBVD in a cardiology outpatient setting.
