Fruit and Vegetables Consumption among Adolescents: A Study from a Developing Country

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables as an optimal eating behavior is recommended for adolescent health. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify factors related to daily fruit and vegetables consumption among 402 adolescents in Tabriz, Iran. A general self-administrated questionnaire was used to assess demographic characteristics, subscale perceived family support and self efficacy. A valid food frequency questionnaire was also used to measure daily consumption of fruit and vegetables. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression tests were performed to examine the association of fruit and vegetables daily intake with psychosocial predictors and gender. The mean age of adolescents was 12.93±0.49 year and 51.5 % were girl. Overall, the average serving size was 2.58 ±0.96 for fruit and 2.67±0.99 for vegetables. Only one third (30.3% and 34.6%) of adolescents had the optimal consumption of fruit and vegetables, respectively. Compared to boys, girls recorded high level of fruits (35.7 % versus. 24.6%) and vegetables (36.2 % versus. 32.8%) intake. Male gender (OR =2.03, 95% CI= 1.04-2.52, P=0.030), employed mothers (OR= 2.11, 95% CI=0.92-3.88, p=0.083), high-fat foods (OR= 2.11, 95% CI=1.01-4.21, p=0.045), perceived emotional family support (OR=1.10, 95%CI= 1.01-1.15, p=0.014) and practical family support (OR=1.04, 95% CI =1. 10-1.11, p=0.029) showed significant relationship with low consumption of fruits and vegetables. It was found that the boys were at risk of low levels of daily fruit and vegetable consumption. The lack of family support represents an increased risk for lacking in daily fruit and vegetable consumption. It seems that family support should be an integrated part of any health education/promotion programs to improve daily fruits and vegetables consumption among adolescents.