Abstract
BackgroundFruit and vegetable consumption is traditionally low in Iceland. The results of the Pro Children cross-Europe survey showed that the consumption was lowest among children in Iceland. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among 11-year-old schoolchildren in Iceland.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was performed in Iceland in the autumn of 2003 as a part of the Pro Children cross-Europe survey. The survey was designed to provide information on actual consumption levels of vegetables and fruits by 11-year-old school children and to assess potential determinants of consumption patterns. A total of 1235 Icelandic children (89%) from 32 randomly chosen schools participated. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to determine the explained variance of the children's fruit and vegetable intake. In these analyses socio-demographic background variables were entered as a first block, perceived physical-environmental variables as a second block, perceived socio-environmental variables as a third block and personal variables as a fourth block.Results64% of the children ate fruit less than once a day, and 61% ate vegetables less than once a day. Respectively, 31% and 39% of the variance in children's fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the determinants studied. About 7% and 13% of the variance in fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the perceived physical-environmental determinants, mainly by availability at home. About 18% and 16% of the variance in fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the personal determinants. For both fruit and vegetable intake, the significant personal determinants were preferences, liking, knowledge of recommendations and self-efficacy.ConclusionInterventions to increase fruit and vegetable intake among children should aim at both environmental factors such as greater availability of fruit and vegetables, and personal factors as self-efficacy and knowledge levels concerning nutrition.
Highlights
Fruit and vegetable consumption is traditionally low in Iceland
A further 15 questionnaires were excluded at a parent's request, along with five outliers and 19 because information on gender was missing
A total of 146 questionnaires had missing or insufficient information to code the socioeconomic status of the mother, 191 to code the SES for father, and 291 for either mother or father. While this missing value decreased the number included in the regression analysis, it did not alter the findings presented in this paper
Summary
Fruit and vegetable consumption is traditionally low in Iceland. In Northern Europe, eat far less than the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits [5]. The consumption is especially low in Iceland among both adults [6,7] and children [8] It is of public health concern to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the Icelandic population. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among children has good potential for improving public health, as healthy food habits acquired in childhood tend to continue into adulthood [9,10]. To develop effective interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, it is essential to know which factors determine the consumption in specific target groups
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