A mixed-methods study of Bangkok Buddhist monks used 203 questionnaire interviews and nine in-depth interviews. Average fruit and vegetable intake was 279 g/day, below the WHO 400-g and EAT-Lancet 500-g benchmarks, with availability, self-efficacy, intention, and support shaping intake.
Key findings
- Healthy-option availability (p
Why this matters globally
Health promotion should engage temples, communities, donors, local government, and civil society, for example by making safe produce convenient, supporting temple kitchens, and communicating healthier offerings while respecting religious practice and monks' agency.
Thai researcher contribution
The World Vegetable Center's regional team based at Kasetsart University studied a Bangkok Theravada food system and translated findings into recommendations involving donors and temple institutions, not only individual monks.
Limitations to consider
The Bangkok sample and self-reported diet invite recall and social-desirability bias. Mean comparisons may not control confounding, only nine in-depth interviews were conducted, and the p