Fruit and Vegetable Intake Correlates During the Transition to Young Adulthood

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.03.019

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Volume 35, Issue 1, July 2008, Pages 33-37.e3

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2008.03.019 Get rights and content

Background

During the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, the intake of fruit and vegetables tends to decline, and national survey data indicate that few young adults consume the recommended amounts. This study aimed to identify longitudinal correlates of follow-up fruit and vegetable intake in early young adulthood.

Methods

Surveys and food frequency questionnaires were completed by 1495 adolescent participants in high school classrooms at baseline (in 1998–1999; mean age=15.9 years, SD=0.8) and by mail at follow-up (in 2003–2004; mean age=20.4 years, SD=0.8). In 2007, linear regression methods were used to identify baseline factors associated with follow-up fruit and vegetable intake.

Results

Baseline taste preferences, perceived benefits of healthy eating, fast-food intake, time spent watching television, family-meal frequency, and home food availability were correlates of both fruit and vegetable intake during young adulthood across gender. After adjusting for baseline intake, the only correlate of both fruit and vegetable intake during young adulthood across gender was taste preferences.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that nutrition interventions for adolescents should provide opportunities for them to taste more fruit and vegetables, and should address supports for healthy eating both within and outside the home environment.

Introduction

Few adolescents or young adults consume fruit and vegetables in the amounts recommended for the prevention of chronic diseases and excess weight gain.1, 2 Interventions are needed to improve that intake by youth and to mitigate the declines in intake previously noted between middle adolescence (15–17 years) and early young adulthood (18–24 years).3, 4 The development of interventions to address this problem will require the knowledge of what factors during adolescence may have an enduring influence on fruit and vegetable intake as young people progress through the developmental transition to adulthood.

Research examining the influences on fruit and vegetable consumption during early young adulthood has been limited and, with a few notable exceptions,5, 6 primarily cross-sectional in nature. The present study builds on existing research through a longitudinal, theory-driven investigation in a diverse, population-based sample of young people in Minnesota. Using social cognitive theory⁷ (SCT) as a framework, it examines potential correlates of intake, including personal, behavioral, and socio-environmental factors. The associations of hypothesized correlates with intake were examined within each gender for both fruit and vegetable intake to better inform the design of targeted interventions and behavioral messages. As current dietary guidelines recommend the consumption of whole fruit rather than fruit juice for the majority of the recommended daily amount and encourage the frequent intake of nutrient-dense, dark-green and orange vegetables, these subgroups of fruit and vegetables were also examined separately.²

Section snippets

Sample and Study Design

Data for the current study were drawn from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a prospective, population-based study designed to examine determinants of dietary intake and weight status. The sample consisted of 1495 young adults (44% male) who completed study assessments at baseline and follow-up. At baseline the mean age of participants was 15.9 years (SD=0.8 years); at follow-up, the mean was 20.4 years (SD=0.8 years).

For Project EAT-I (1998–1999), 3074 Minnesota high school students completed

Personal factors

In models adjusted for energy intake and sociodemographic characteristics, a taste preference for fruit or vegetables at baseline was the only personal factor positively associated with follow-up intake and longitudinal increases in intake of the respective outcome among both young men and young women (Table 1). Among young women, concern about health, the perceived benefits of healthy eating, and self-efficacy for healthy eating at baseline were also positively associated with follow-up intake

Discussion

This study investigated correlates of fruit and vegetable intake and the change in fruit and vegetable intake during the transition to young adulthood. Across gender and for both fruit and vegetables, common correlates of intake during early young adulthood included baseline personal factors (e.g., taste preferences); behavioral factors (e.g., fast-food frequency); and socio-environmental factors (e.g., home food and beverage availability). These findings indicate that interventions that

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Research articleFruit and Vegetable Intake Correlates During the Transition to Young Adulthood

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Section snippets

Sample and Study Design

Personal factors

Discussion

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Prev Med

Prev Med

J Am Diet Assoc

Prev Med

J Am Diet Assoc

J Am Diet Assoc

Prev Med

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Clin Nutr

Research article
Fruit and Vegetable Intake Correlates During the Transition to Young Adulthood