title: Time to address continued poor vegetable intake in Australia for prevention of chronic disease.
abstract: Australian and most international Dietary Guidelines recommend people consume more fruits and vegetables (F&V) to maintain a healthy weight and reduce chronic disease risk. Previous Australian and international surveys have shown sub-optimal consumption of F&V.
  
  
  
  This study aimed to assess adults' F&V consumption, knowledge of recommended servings, readiness to change, barriers/enabling factors, so that this knowledge might be used for campaigns that support improved consumption.
  
  
  
  An online survey of a representative sample of adults living in New South Wales, Australia (n = 2474) measuring self-reported F&V consumption; attitudes towards F&V consumption; stage of change for increasing F&V; barriers to consumption; and knowledge of cancer-health benefits.
  
  
  
  F&V consumption was below recommendations, with vegetable consumption notably low. Only 10% of participants ate at least five servings of vegetables/day (median intake was two daily servings), and 57% consumed two servings fruit/day. There was poor recognition that intake of vegetables was inadequate and this was a barrier to improving vegetable consumption; with preferences for other foods, habit and cost also important barriers. Key barriers to increasing fruit intake were habit, preferences for other foods, perishability, and cost. For vegetable consumption, 49% of participants were in the pre-contemplation stage of change, whereas for fruits 56% were in the action/maintenance stage. Sixty-four percent of respondents believed that eating F&V would protect against cancer, with 56% reporting they thought not eating enough F&V would cause cancer.
  
  
  
  Understanding what motivates and prevents people from consuming F&V is important for developing effective health promotion programs. Similar to previous surveys, there has been little shift in F&V consumption. Social marketing campaigns have been shown to improve health-related behaviours, and this study may assist in identifying audience segmentation for better targeted campaigns.
authors: Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: kathyc@nswcc.org.au.
authors: Kathryn
authors: K
authors: Chapman
authors: Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Havill
authors: Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Wendy L
authors: WL
authors: Watson
authors: Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Lyndal
authors: L
authors: Wellard
authors: Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Clare
authors: C
authors: Hughes
authors: Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Adrian
authors: A
authors: Bauman
authors: School of Life and Environmental Science in Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Allman-Farinelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D001835:Body Weight; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption; Consumption; Fruit; Vegetables