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| Title:
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Understanding the Determinants of and Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Multi-Ethnic, Adult Populations |
| Status:
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Completed |
| Topic:
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Nutrition / Diet |
| Funding Source:
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Funding Period:
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10/01- 9/04 |
| Study Design:
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Survey Development and Validity Testing |
| Purpose:
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To develop and test survey instruments for use in assessing the determinants of, and barriers to, fruit and vegetable consumption in multi-ethnic, adult populations. |
| Further Study Details:
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This study was designed to help understand the reasons why people tend to eat less than the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and to use these findings to develop a survey to gather this information. Study teams from the Yale Prevention Research Center and University of North Carolina Prevention Research Center assessed fruit and vegetable intake through methods that included a systematic search of the literature, focus groups, intercept interviews in supermarket and restaurant settings, and cognitive testing. Information gathered during Phase 1 was used to create a new survey which was validated during Phase 2 of the project. |
| Findings:
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Supermarket interviews with 27 adults indicated the top three factors that influenced the purchase of fruits were price, freshness, and taste, whereas the top three factors that influenced their purchase of vegetables were special sales, price, and taste. Restaurant interviews with 17 adults provided similar responses. Focus groups conducted with 66 adults revealed a general lack of knowledge regarding the definition of serving sizes and the term “5 a day” used to promote fruit and vegetable consumption. Perceived barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption were time, price, perishability, presentation, lack of freshness, and lack of variety. Perceived facilitators to fruit and vegetable consumption were taste, presentation, availability, preparation, convenience, variety, and advice from a physician. |
| Eligibility:
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African-American, Hispanic, and White adult men and women |