Factors associated with the consumption of fruits and vegetables in south-east Hungary

Abstract

Several risk factors of diet-related diseases are present in the nutrition of the Hungarian population. The aim of the study was to investigate the health status and the association of the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables as indicators of healthy diet with sociodemographic factors, health behaviours in the south-eastern part of Hungary. In 2002, a cross-sectional study based on interviewer-administered questionnaires was conducted in the south-eastern part of Hungary. The sample comprised of 3419 people, aged between 15 and 75, with about 40 persons from each practice. The results demonstrated that fruit and vegetable consumption of the studied population were determined by certain demographical, economical and lifestyle factors, and were also associated with self-assessed health and health status. Altering the habits of nutrition is an integral part of health intervention programs. Success rate may, however, be largely reduced by the social and economic background of the habits in question.