A Feasibility Assessment of Measuring Acceptance and Adherence to a Plant‐Based (Vegan) Diet in a Cardiology Clinic
L. Smillie, M. Minehan, C. R. Knight‐Agarwal, Ahmad FarshidABSTRACT
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.