des, and Beliefs of General Practitioners about the Vegetarian Diet (KAVeGP)

Background: The spread of the vegetarian diet among the Italian population is rapidly increasing, and numerous are its benefits for both the environment and individuals' health. In this context, GPs play a crucial role as main advocates for healthier dietary behaviors. To date, however, we are not aware of any studies that describe the knowledge and attitudes of Italian GPs regarding vegetarian diets. Research questions: What are the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Italian GPs regarding vegetarian diets? Method: After a non-systematic literature review, a questionnaire was developed, structured into five major areas: knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and overall judgments about vegetarian diets (lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan) and healthcare assistance for vegetarian patients. Socio-demographic characteristics of the GPs where collected. The questionnaire was administered online and distributed using a 'snowball' data collection strategy. Finally, a descriptive analysis of the results was conducted. Results: 163 complete responses were collected. The analysis of knowledge-related data reveals limited information about nutrition: only 51.5% of the sample understands the meaning of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, while better results are seen for vegan diets (71.2%). Most respondents (79.1%) are aware of the health benefits of a plantbased diet compared to an omnivorous one, but knowledge gaps exist: only 44.2% were unaware that Vitamin B12 must be supplemented in a vegetarian diet. In overall judgments, 56.4% of surveyed GPs support and recommend a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, only 6.1% endorse a vegan diet, and 78% discourage their patients from transitioning to a vegan diet. Conclusions: Vegetarian diets are becoming more and more widespread in the population as their health benefits are becoming more and more known. Our exploratory study showed that Italian GPs demonstrated insufficient levels of knowledge to safely manage patients and consciously promote plant-based diets. On the other hand, however, they showed that they interest in receiving more training on the topic.