Parents’ perception of their role in the prevention of inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables among adolescents in South Africa

Abstract

South African adolescents consume relatively low fruit and vegetables in spite of the development of foodbased dietary guidelines for South Africa. The aims and objectives of the present study were to investigate parents’ perception of their role in the prevention of the health compromising behaviour of inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables among adolescents in South Africa. The study design was qualitative and exploratory and the research strategy used was inductive, deductive and abductive. Using a guiding question schedule data were collected from five focus group interviews. A non-probability purposive theoretical sampling method was utilized and the sample size of 37 determined by theoretical saturation. Data analysis was performed using the grounded theory approach. The findings of the study suggest that children should be introduced to fruit and vegetables as early as possible. The study recommends that infants should be exposed to the taste of locally available fruit and vegetables followed by the gradual introduction of fruit and vegetables into their diet together with a variety of other nutrientdense foods when solid foods are being introduced.