Overview

The VEGANScreener  is a brief questionnaire designed to assess plant-based diet quality. It includes 29 items covering key food groups and supplements relevant to vegan and plant-based diets. Two scoring options are available for researchers: a traffic-light scoring method and a numeric scoring method. Both approaches assign higher scores to more favourable dietary intakes and produce a total diet quality score.

VEGANScreener scoring options

  • Traffic-light scoring method
    The traffic-light scoring approach assigns item-level scores from 0 to 4. Scores are summed to derive a total score ranging from 0 to 66, with higher values indicating higher plant-based diet quality.
    Download traffic-light scoring PDF
  • Numeric scoring method
    The numeric scoring approach assigns item-level scores from 0 to 8. Scores are summed to derive a total score ranging from 0 to 230, with higher values indicating better plant-based diet quality.
    Download numeric scoring PDF

Interpreting the VEGANScreener score

The total VEGANScreener score provides an overall indication of plant-based diet quality. Component or item-level scores can also be examined to identify specific strengths and areas for improvement, such as intake of whole plant foods, ultra-processed foods, fortified foods, or key supplements.
The VEGANScreener is intended to rank individuals or groups according to plant-based diet quality. It should not be interpreted as a diagnostic tool or as a replacement for detailed dietary assessment where precise nutrient intake estimates are required.

Which scoring method should researchers use?

  • Use the traffic-light score when:
    You want a simple, visual, and easy-to-communicate scoring approach. This option may be especially useful for public health communication, feedback tools, educational settings, or descriptive summaries.
  • Use the numeric score when:
    You need a more granular continuous score for statistical analyses, validation studies, or research settings where greater variation across participants is useful.
  • Researchers may choose either scoring method depending on the study aim. When reporting results, please specify which VEGANScreener scoring method was used.

Recommended citation

Kronsteiner-Gicevic, S., Bogl, L. H., Wakolbinger, M., Müller, S., Dietrich, J., De Keyzer, W., … & Schernhammer, E. (2024). Development of the VEGANScreener, a tool for a quick diet quality assessment among vegans in Europe. Nutrients, 16(9), 1344.

Questions or collaboration requests

For questions about applying the VEGANScreener in research, adapting it to another language or population, or collaborating on validation studies, please contact the VEGANScreener research team.