Plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents: results from the Youth Nutrition Study
Abstract
Background: The Nordic nutrition recommendations emphasize a shift toward plant-based diets for both health and environmental reasons. This study examined the prevalence of plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents according to sociodemographic backgrounds.
Methods: Our data comprised 1,975 Finnish adolescents aged 12–20 years who participated in a cross-sectional Youth Nutrition Study conducted during the years 2024–2025 in 22 municipalities. The data were collected in schools using two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and background questionnaires. Participants were asked whether they followed any special diet, which was classified by the interviewer. Vegan, lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and omnivorous diets excluding red meat were classified as plant‑based diets. The prevalence of plant-based and omnivorous diets was calculated by sex, age, and school type. Group differences were tested using the chi‑square test.
Results: Diets among adolescents were distributed as follows (n, %): omnivorous diet (1861, 94%), omnivorous diet excluding red meat (25, 1%), lacto-vegetarian or pescatarian (29, 1%) and vegan diet (3, 0.2%). The prevalence of plant-based diets was higher among girls (5%) than boys (1%, p < 0.001) and among 16–20-year-olds (5%) than younger (2%, p < 0.001). In addition, plant-based diets were more common among students in upper secondary schools (8%) than in lower secondary schools (2%) and vocational schools (1%, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: In Finland, plant-based diets are still relatively uncommon among adolescents. These findings highlight the need to increase the adoption of more plant-based diets to support both health and environmental sustainability.
Key messages: • The prevalence of plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents is relatively low.
• A shift toward plant‑based diets requires population‑wide efforts, with focus on groups where such diets are less common, such as boys and lower secondary and vocational school students.
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BibTeX
@article{viitalehto2026plantbased,
title = {{Plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents: results from the Youth Nutrition Study}},
author = {M Viitalehto and S Niinistö and H Vepsäläinen and SM Virtanen and P Haario and S Ahonen and T Korhonen and M Åkerlund and S Raulio},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1319},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1319},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents: results from the Youth Nutrition Study
AU - M Viitalehto
AU - S Niinistö
AU - H Vepsäläinen
AU - SM Virtanen
AU - P Haario
AU - S Ahonen
AU - T Korhonen
AU - M Åkerlund
AU - S Raulio
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1319
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1319
AB - Background: The Nordic nutrition recommendations emphasize a shift toward plant-based diets for both health and environmental reasons. This study examined the prevalence of plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents according to sociodemographic backgrounds. Methods: Our data comprised 1,975 Finnish adolescents aged 12–20 years who participated in a cross-sectional Youth Nutrition Study conducted during the years 2024–2025 in 22 municipalities. The data were collected in schools using two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and background questionnaires. Participants were asked whether they followed any special diet, which was classified by the interviewer. Vegan, lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and omnivorous diets excluding red meat were classified as plant‑based diets. The prevalence of plant-based and omnivorous diets was calculated by sex, age, and school type. Group differences were tested using the chi‑square test. Results: Diets among adolescents were distributed as follows (n, %): omnivorous diet (1861, 94%), omnivorous diet excluding red meat (25, 1%), lacto-vegetarian or pescatarian (29, 1%) and vegan diet (3, 0.2%). The prevalence of plant-based diets was higher among girls (5%) than boys (1%, p < 0.001) and among 16–20-year-olds (5%) than younger (2%, p < 0.001). In addition, plant-based diets were more common among students in upper secondary schools (8%) than in lower secondary schools (2%) and vocational schools (1%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Finland, plant-based diets are still relatively uncommon among adolescents. These findings highlight the need to increase the adoption of more plant-based diets to support both health and environmental sustainability. Key messages: • The prevalence of plant-based diets among Finnish adolescents is relatively low. • A shift toward plant‑based diets requires population‑wide efforts, with focus on groups where such diets are less common, such as boys and lower secondary and vocational school students.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -