scholarly journals Factors affecting food choice in relation to fruit and vegetable intake: a review

2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Pollard ◽  
S. F. L Kirk ◽  
J. E Cade

AbstractThe present review provides an investigation into the food choice decisions made by individuals in relation to fruit and vegetable consumption. A comprehensive body of evidence now exists concerning the protective effect of fruit and vegetables against a number of diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer. Current UK recommendations are to increase intakes of fruit and vegetables to 400 g/person per d. In the main body of the review the factors that affect food choice decisions of adults in relation to fruit and vegetable consumption are studied, following a suggested framework of food choice. Factors covered include sensory appeal, familiarity and habit, social interactions, cost, availability, time constraints, personal ideology, media and advertising and health. The content of the review shows just how complex the food choice process can be. Health promotion techniques can be better targeted towards certain groups of individuals, all holding similar sets of values, when making food choice decisions. Food choice, in relation to fruit and vegetable intake, needs to be studied in more depth, in order to provide effective nutrition education programmes, in particular the sets of priorities that different sub-groups of the population consider when making food choice decisions.

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie Pollard ◽  
Darren Greenwood ◽  
Sara Kirk ◽  
Janet Cade

Abstract:Background: Despite recommendations to increase fruit and vegetable consumption within the UK population, intakes are still too low. In order to stimulate dietary behaviour change the determinants of food choice need to be explored.Objectives:To investigate how the priorities of high consumers of fruit and vegetables differ from those of low consumers, with respect to food choice motivations, and to identify what value high and low consumers place on different aspects of food choice behaviour.Design:A 4-day food diary and a questionnaire, including The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) and a measure of Stage of Change (SOC) for fruit and vegetable consumption, were administered to subjects. Motivation scores from the FCQ were compared with fruit and vegetable intake and SOC data.Subjects:Nine hundred and ninety-eight females, aged 35–69 years, participating in the UK Women's Cohort Study.Results:In a multiple linear regression model, including age, education level and all FCQ motivations, the strongest motivations specifically affecting fruit and vegetable intake were health and natural content. It was found that, for a one point increase (measured on a scale of 0–4) in health and natural content scores, fruit and vegetable consumption increased by 1.11 portions (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5–1.7) and 0.84 portions (95% CI 0.4–1.3), respectively (P>0.01). The SOC evaluation showed significant associations with portions of fruit and vegetables consumed (P>0.01). Women whose SOC was classed as maintenance phase were found to score higher on health, natural content, weight control and ethical concern factors (P>0.01). These women also scored lower on convenience questions (P>0.01).Conclusion:In this particular group of women the most important motivating factors for food choice, within the high fruit and vegetable consumers, were health and natural content of the food.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 931-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bela Franchini ◽  
Rui Poínhos ◽  
Knut-Inge Klepp ◽  
Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between parenting styles and own fruit and vegetable consumption among Portuguese mothers of school children. A cross-sectional study was performed in Portugal as part of the Pro Children cross-sectional European survey. Portuguese mothers (n 1601) of 11–13-year-old school children were included in the present study. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to assess fruit and vegetable consumption as well as the parenting styles. Fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed by a validated FFQ. Parenting styles based on two dimensions – strictness and involvement – were classified into authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent and neglectful. The higher mean intakes of fruit, vegetables and total fruit and vegetables were observed for mothers classified as indulgent, whereas the lower mean intakes were observed for mothers classified as neglectful. Differences in intake among parenting styles were significant for fruit, vegetables and total fruit and vegetables. When partial correlations were calculated between the two dimensions, strictness and involvement (controlled one for the other), and intakes, only involvement was positively associated with fruit, vegetables and total fruit and vegetable intake. Findings from the present study show that fruit and vegetable consumption of Portuguese mothers of school children seems to be related to their own parenting styles, especially with the dimension involvement. Future interventions to promote fruit and vegetable intake should take into account these variables.


1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Krebs-Smith ◽  
Jerianne Heimendinger ◽  
Blossom H. Patterson ◽  
Amy F. Subar ◽  
Ronald Kessler ◽  
...  

Purpose. This study examined the relationship between various psychosocial factors and fruit and vegetable consumption. Design. The 5 A Day Baseline Survey, conducted in August 1991, just before the initiation of the 5 A Day for Better Health Program, obtained data on adults' intakes of, and their knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding, fruits and vegetables. Setting. The survey was conducted by telephone. Subjects. Subjects were 2811 adults (response rate, 43%) aged 18 years and older in the 48 coterminous United States. Measures. Fruit and vegetable intake was measured as self-reported frequency of use; most of the psychosocial variables were measured using Likert scales. Results. This study estimates that only 8% of American adults thought that five or more servings of fruits and vegetables were needed for good health. Of the factors studied, the most important in determining someone's fruit and vegetable intake were the number of servings they thought they should have in a day, whether they liked the taste, and whether they had been in the habit of eating many fruits and vegetables since childhood. These few factors accounted for 15% more of the variation in fruit and vegetable consumption than did demographic variables alone (8%). Conclusions. Nutrition education should stress the need to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day because few adults are aware of this recommendation and such knowledge is strongly associated with increased intake. Furthermore, efforts to increase the palatability of fruits and vegetables, especially among children, should be promoted.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1206-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilke JC van Ansem ◽  
Carola TM Schrijvers ◽  
Gerda Rodenburg ◽  
Dike van de Mheen

AbstractObjectiveTo examine: (i) the association between home availability of fruit and vegetables and children's fruit and vegetable intake; (ii) the association between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and the home availability of fruit and vegetables; and (iii) whether the home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingA total of ninety-one primary schools in the Netherlands.SubjectsIn total 1501 primary caregivers completed a questionnaire to measure children's fruit and vegetable consumption, home availability of fruit and vegetables, parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment (price, quality and availability), the child's socio-economic status, the child's ethnicity and maternal height and weight.ResultsThe home availability of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with children's fruit and vegetable intake (P < 0·01 and P < 0·001, respectively). Negative parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment were associated with less fruit available at home (P < 0·05, P < 0·01 and P < 0·05 for price, quality and availability of fruit, respectively). No significant associations were found between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption. We found no evidence that home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable intake.ConclusionsInterventions focusing on improving the home availability of fruit and vegetables may help to increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption. However, more data are required on factors influencing the home availability of fruit and vegetables.


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Van Bui ◽  
Christopher L. Blizzard ◽  
Khue Ngoc Luong ◽  
Ngoc Le Van Truong ◽  
Bao Quoc Tran ◽  
...  

AbstractThe aims of the present study were to provide nationally representative data on fruit and vegetable consumption in Vietnam, and to assess the accuracy of the reported numbers of ‘standard servings’ consumed. Data analysed were from a multi-stage stratified cluster survey of 14 706 participants (46·5 % males, response proportion 64·1 %) aged 25−64 years in Vietnam. Measurements were made in accordance with the WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance of non-communicable diseases (STEPS) protocols. Approximately 80 % of Vietnamese people reported having less than five servings of fruit and vegetables daily in a typical week. Fruit and vegetable intake reported in ‘standard serving’ sizes was positively correlated with levels of education completed and household income (P<0·001 for trend). The correlations between summary values for each province reflect some known demographic, geographical and climatic characteristics of the country. For example, provinces at higher latitude had higher mean servings of vegetables (r 0·90), and provinces with higher proportions of urban population had higher mean servings of fruit (r 0·40). In conclusion, about eight in ten Vietnamese people aged 25–64 years did not meet WHO recommendations for daily consumption of at least five servings of fruit and vegetables. On the basis of the consistency of the data collected with other estimates and with physical and demographic characteristics of the country, the WHO STEPS instrument has construct validity for measuring fruit and vegetable intake, but with two issues identified. The issues were seasonal variation in reporting and a limitation on the usefulness of the information for associative analyses.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 711-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aime J. Sommerfeld ◽  
Amy L. McFarland ◽  
Tina M. Waliczek ◽  
Jayne M. Zajicek

New dietary guidelines recommend eating more than five servings of fruit and vegetables each day without setting upper limitations. Although older adults tend to report a higher intake of fruit and vegetables than other age groups, over half of the U.S. older population does not meet the recommendation of five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Research has shown that gardening is one way of improving fruit and vegetable intake. The primary focuses of this study were to examine and compare fruit and vegetable consumption of gardeners and nongardeners and to investigate any differences in fruit and vegetable consumption of long-term gardeners when compared with newer gardeners in adults older than age 50 years. An online survey was designed to be answered by older adults (50 years or older) and respondents self-selected themselves for inclusion in the study. A total of 261 questionnaires was completed. Data collected were analyzed using statistical procedures, including descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlations, and multivariate analysis of variance. The results of this research supports previous studies that indicated gardeners were more likely to consume vegetables when compared with nongardeners. However, these results were not found with regard to fruit consumption between gardeners and nongardeners. Additionally, the length of time an individual reported having participated in gardening activities seemed to have no relationship to the number of vegetables and fruit reported as consumed, which suggests gardening intervention programs late in life would be an effective method of boosting vegetable and fruit consumption in older adults. Gender was also evaluated with no statistically significant differences found for overall fruit and vegetable intake.


Author(s):  
Putu Novi Arfirsta Dharmayani ◽  
Melissa Juergens ◽  
Margaret Allman-Farinelli ◽  
Seema Mihrshahi

Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of various chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, obesity, and certain cancers. Recently, fruit and vegetable intake has also been linked with mental health, including depression; however, this area is largely unexplored studies in young people and adults. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and depressive symptoms in young people and adults aged 15–45. The review used a predefined protocol registered with International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (ID no: CRD42018091642). The systematic review focused on peer-reviewed cohort studies published from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2020 using searches of six electronic databases. The exposure was fruit and vegetable consumption analysed both separately and/or together, and the outcome was depression or depressive symptoms. Data from eligible studies were extracted according to predefined criteria and the studies were appraised using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort studies to evaluate for study quality and risk of bias. A total of 12 studies from seven countries were deemed eligible and included in the qualitative synthesis, one study was categorised as “very good” quality, nine studies were “good” quality, and two studies were “moderate” quality by the quality assessment based on the total score for the NOS. The majority of cohort studies support the evidence that fruit consumption is associated with decreased risk of developing depression. However, the inconsistent results were observed when the effects of vegetable consumption were analysed independently, and the effects of fruit and vegetables combined were analysed. Despite this, the evidence seems to be building that a possible association exists, and this may have implications for addressing the burden of mental illness in young people and adults aged 15–45 years. More well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to provide more robust evidence on the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and depression.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C Krzyzanowski ◽  
Paul N Kizakevich ◽  
Vanessa Duren-Winfield ◽  
Randall Eckhoff ◽  
Joel Hampton ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior. Testing user engagement with an app in a controlled environment can provide insight into what is effective and not effective in an app focused on improving diet and exercise. OBJECTIVE We developed Rams Have Heart, a mobile app, to support a cardiovascular disease (CVD) intervention course. The app tracks healthy behaviors, including fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, throughout the day. This paper aimed to present its functionality and evaluated adherence among the African American college student population. METHODS We developed the app using the Personal Health Informatics and Intervention Toolkit, a software framework. Rams Have Heart integrates self-reported health screening with health education, diary tracking, and user feedback modules to acquire data and assess progress. The parent study, conducted at a historically black college and university-designated institution in southeastern United States, consisted of a semester-long intervention administered as an academic course in the fall, for 3 consecutive years. Changes were made after the cohort 1 pilot study, so results only include cohorts 2 and 3, comprising a total of 115 students (n=55 intervention participants and n=54 control participants) aged from 17 to 24 years. Data collected over the study period were transferred using the secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol and stored in a secure Structured Query Language server database accessible only to authorized persons. SAS software was used to analyze the overall app usage and the specific results collected. RESULTS Of the 55 students in the intervention group, 27 (49%) students in cohort 2 and 25 (45%) in cohort 3 used the Rams Have Heart app at least once. Over the course of the fall semester, app participation dropped off gradually until exam week when most students no longer participated. The average fruit and vegetable intake increased slightly, and activity levels decreased over the study period. CONCLUSIONS Rams Have Heart was developed to allow daily tracking of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity to support a CVD risk intervention for a student demographic susceptible to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We conducted an analysis of app usage, function, and user results. Although a mobile app provides privacy and flexibility for user participation in a research study, Rams Have Heart did not improve compliance or user outcomes. Health-oriented research studies relying on apps in support of user goals need further evaluation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 480-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Schätzer ◽  
Petra Rust ◽  
Ibrahim Elmadfa

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the intake frequency of fruit and vegetables, serving sizes, reasons for and barriers to consumption, and the potential for increasing fruit and vegetable intake.DesignA nationwide postal questionnaire survey was conducted in 2006 over all four seasons. The participants were stratified according to occupation and sex. The response rate for 5130 questionnaires sent out was 52·7 %.SettingAustria.SubjectsAustrian adults, aged 19–64 years.ResultsDaily fruit consumption was reported by 57·1 % of the participants and daily vegetable consumption by 36·2 %. On average, 2·1 (sd 1·9) servings (250 (sd 225) g) of fruit and 1·7 (sd 1·3) servings (198 (sd 159) g) of vegetables were consumed daily. Women ate fruit and vegetables both more frequently and in greater quantities than men. Both intake frequency and the number of fruit and vegetable servings were largely independent of seasonal fluctuations. The primary reason for the consumption of both fruit and vegetables was taste. The greatest barrier to higher intake was the perception that current individual consumption was already sufficient. Price did not constitute a relevant barrier in Austria. At present, the potential for increasing fruit and vegetable intake can be estimated at two servings.ConclusionsAustrian adults still consume less fruit and vegetables than recommended. Strategies to increase intake should pay more attention to the taste instead of the various health aspects.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie L Parker ◽  
Liwei Chen ◽  
Diane C Mitchell ◽  
Hsin-Chieh Yeh ◽  
Cheryl Anderson ◽  
...  

Background: Increased intake of fruits and vegetables (F/V) may protect against adiposity, but effects on weight have been inconsistent. Our objective was to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and weight, using direct and indirect measures of dietary intake: self-reported 24-hour recall and serum carotenoid levels. Methods: Participants from the PREMIER lifestyle intervention trial were included in this analysis (n=554). Dietary measures included 24-hour dietary recalls and serum carotenoid levels, from a fasting blood sample. The outcome was weight in pounds. Nested linear mixed models were used to examine the association between F/V and weight. Results: Mean F/V increased from 4.6 (SD 2.4) to 5.6 (SD 3.2) (p=<.01), mean serum carotenoids increased from 53.2 (SD 31.9) to 68.1 (SD 42.5) (p=<.01). At 18 months, participants in the lowest quintile of fruit and vegetable change reported an average intake of 4.42.8 servings of fruits and vegetables, and those in the highest quintile of change reported an average intake of 7.73.2 servings. In a multivariate model adjusting for age, race, gender, intervention, energy, study site, and time, lower body weight was associated with higher F/V intake measured by dietary recall (−0.63 lbs, 95% CI −0.83 to −0.42, per 1 serving increase in F/V) and serum carotenoids (−0.13 lbs, 95% CI −0.15 to −0.11, per 1 ug/dl increase in carotenoids). Results were somewhat attenuated but consistent after additional adjustments for working heart rate, exercise, calories from sugar-sweetened beverages, marital and employment status, and alcohol use . Conclusions: Greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with decreased body weight. Results were consistent for both objective and self-reported measures of fruit and vegetable intake.


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