Perceptions of adequacy of fruit and vegetable intake as a barrier to increasing consumption

Abstract

Aim To investigate New South Wales adults' perceived adequacy of their fruit and vegetable consumption and to identify the barriers to consumption. Method An online cross‐sectional survey of a sample of adults in New South Wales (n = 1603) in February 2019 measured self‐reported fruit and vegetable intakes, perception of consumption adequacy and barriers to consumption. Proportions of participants whose reported consumption met the daily recommended serves of fruit and vegetables per day were calculated. Chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests were used to explore differences between demographic characteristics and meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations. For those not meeting recommendations, Chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests were used to explore perceived adequacy of intake as a potential barrier to consumption. Results The sample included 52.7% women, 40.0% aged under 40 years and 28.6% over 59 years, 68.2% lived in a major city, and 32.6% were university educated. Overall, 64.8% of participants reported consuming adequate fruit and 12.4% reported consuming adequate vegetables. Of those consuming less than the guidelines, 21.3% perceived that they were eating enough fruit and 53.7% perceived they were eating enough vegetables. The most common barriers to eating more fruit were preference for other foods (29.6%), fruit spoiling too quickly (28.3%), and habit (27.0%). The most common barriers to eating more vegetables were the perception that they eat enough (26.8%), preference for other foods (21.9%), and habit (19.7%). Conclusions Greater efforts are needed to support the public to eat adequate fruit and vegetables, consistent with dietary guidelines. Public education campaigns specifically targeting increasing vegetable consumption are required to address knowledge gaps, given a large proportion of our study population consumed inadequate levels of vegetables yet perceived their intake to be adequate.

Examining Sociodemographic Factors, Reasons, and Barriers in the Diversity of Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Undergraduate Students

“…The deficiency in fruit and vegetable intake largely indicates that their busy lifestyles are the primary obstacle, mainly due to the time commitments associated with attending classes [ 21 , 22 ]. Furthermore, the perception of already having sufficient intake serves as a significant barrier, leading to limited efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption within this demographic group [ 23 ].…”

Using the Australian Dietary Guidelines 2&5 education message in supermarket shopping trolleys to nudge shoppers to purchase more fruit and vegetables: A feasibility study using an intervention design

“…The current study aimed to build on the two former studies by using the same intervention research design and investigated the impact of the Australian Dietary Guidelines 2&5 education message (2&5 education nudge) placed in supermarket shopping trolleys on shopper F&V purchases. The reason for testing the impact of a 2&5 education nudge message is because the literature suggests that of adults consuming less than the F&V guidelines, more than 1 in 5 perceived that they were eating enough fruit and more than one‐half perceived they were eating enough vegetables (Wellard‐Cole et al., 2023). This is also supported by previous Australian research (Hill et al., 2020) which reported that more than 3 in 4 adults had insufficient or poor F&V knowledge resulting in lower F&V intake compared to those with adequate F&V knowledge.…”

The balance of evidence on 100% juice & health: A systematic umbrella review of meta-analyses

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Fruit and vegetable intakes are major modifiable determinants of risk for non-communicable disease (1) , yet intake levels remain low (2) and multiple barriers (cost, access, perishability, preparation skills) exist (3,4) . 100% fruit and vegetable juices contain key micronutrients and bioactive compounds (5)(6)(7) and may help circumvent these barriers to consumption (6,7) .

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