Psychosocial determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among NYC residents

Abstract

Despite recommendations, most American adults do not consume recommended levels of fruits and vegetables (FV). Interventions to increase access to, intake of, and perceived benefits of FV are needed. Therefore, it is important to identify correlates of FV intake. In this study, we specifically studied determinants of FV intake among a sample of NYC residents. Recruitment relied on snowballing, in which an email message was sent to members of Corbin Hill Food Project (CHFP), a NYC farm share, and participants were asked to recommend nonmembers who could participate to the researchers. Participants completed the study online A sub-study considered the perceived enablers and barriers to CHFP membership among its members, a farm share that specifically targets low-income communities. This cross-sectional study used data collected in an online survey. Two hundred and seventy-two NYC residents participated in the study. Results of the multivariate regression revealed that diet self-efficacy was correlated with FV intake (F(7, 256) = 4.68, p < .001). Social support was not related to FV intake in either direction. Among members of CHFP, the most frequently cited enablers to membership were: "support for local farmers" (95.0%) "high-quality produce" (91.7%), and "organic farming methods" (82.9%) were the most frequently endorsed enablers. "Limited choice" (29.7%), "too much produce resulting in waste" (25.2%), and "limited variety" (23.9%) were the most frequently endorsed barriers. Future research might consider approaches to increasing diet self-efficacy and targeting perceived enablers and benefits of alternative food markets for increasing FV intake among residents of low-income neighborhoods.