title: Improving fruit and vegetable consumption: use of farm-to-consumer venues among US adults.
abstract: Improvements to the food environment including new store development and more farm-to-consumer approaches (ie, farmers' markets, roadside stands, pick-your-own produce farms, or community-supported agriculture programs) may aid Americans in making healthier dietary choices. We analyzed data from a subset of respondents (N = 1,994) in the National Cancer Institute's Food Attitudes and Behaviors Survey, a mail survey of US adults. We determined associations between primary grocery shoppers' region and sociodemographic characteristics and frequency of purchasing fruits and vegetables in the summer from farm-to-consumer venues. A little more than one-quarter (27%) of grocery shoppers reported a frequency of at least weekly use of farm-to-consumer approaches. Older adults and respondents who live in the Northeast were most likely to shop farm-to-consumer venues at least weekly, and no differences were found by sex, race/ethnicity, education, or annual household income. These findings suggest that farm-to-consumer venues are used by many Americans and could be expanded to increase access to fruits and vegetables.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. hblanck@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Heidi M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Blanck
authors.forename: Olivia M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nebeling
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Yaroch
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004032:Diet; D005522:Food Services; D005523:Food Supply; D005638:Fruit; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables