Associations between mothers' perceptions of the cost of fruit and vegetables and children's diets: Will children pay the price?

Abstract

Perceptions that fruit and vegetables are expensive are more common among the socio-economically disadvantaged groups and are linked to poor dietary outcomes. Such perceptions may be exacerbated in countries recently affected by natural disasters, where devastation of fruit and vegetable crops has resulted in increase in prices of fruit and vegetables. Examining the associations of perceptions of fruit and vegetable affordability and children's diets can offer insights into how the high prices of fruit and vegetables might have an impact on the diets of children. We analysed the data from 546 socio-economically disadvantaged mother-child pairs to assess the relationship between maternal perceptions of fruit and vegetable affordability and the diets of their children. Fruit consumption was lower among children whose mothers felt the cost of fruit was too high. Maternal perceptions of fruit and vegetable affordability were not associated with any other aspect of child's diet. Our results suggest a possible role for maternal perceptions of fruit affordability in children's diet, though further research is warranted.