title: The meaning of 'fruits' and 'vegetables'.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fruit and vegetable consumption is a focus of research and nutrition education; yet, there is no universal agreement on the meaning of 'fruits' and 'vegetables'. Our objective was to describe survey respondent perceptions about a set of foods with regard to whether the food is a fruit, vegetable or something else.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three cross-sectional studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two small studies involving cognitive interviewing sessions; and one large self-administered population survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  US adults in two small studies (n 55 and 80) and one large survey (n 3312), all with multiple race/ethnicities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perceptions varied. In the survey, rice was considered a vegetable by about 20 % of respondents. In one small study, Spanish speakers were more likely to consider rice a vegetable, and Chinese speakers less likely, than were English speakers. Black beans were frequently classified as something other than vegetable or fruit. Among Hispanics, Spanish speakers were less likely than English speakers to consider beans a vegetable. Overall, tomatoes were classified as both fruit and vegetable, and these perceptions varied by race/ethnicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Substantial disagreement among the fruit, vegetable and other food domains highlights the importance of clearly defining the desired constructs. Foods that require specific instruction include rice, dried beans, potatoes, tomatoes and fruits and vegetables in mixtures and condiments. For measurement, additional questions or explanations may be needed to clarify which foods are of interest. For communication, the global message to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables should be reinforced with specific guidance.
authors.affiliation: Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Branch, Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, US National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd/EPN 4095A MSC 7344, Bethesda, MD 20892-7344, USA. thompsof@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Frances E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Gordon B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: Olivia M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Yaroch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000145:classification; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit / Q000145:classification*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables / Q000145:classification*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult