Influences on child fruit and vegetable intake: sociodemographic, parental and child factors in a longitudinal cohort study.

09 March 2010

The aim of this study is to examine the sociodemographic, parental and child factors that predict fruit and vegetable consumption in 7-year-old children. 

 

Diet was assessed using three 1d unweighed food diaries. The child's daily fruit and vegetable consumption was calculated by summing the weight of each type of fruit, fruit juice and vegetable consumed. The various others factors measured were assessed by a questionnaire at different time points. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a total of 7285 children aged 7 years.

Median daily fruit and vegetable consumption (201 g) was below the recommendations for this age group (320 g). Girls ate more fruit and vegetables per unit energy (30.3 g/MJ) than boys (26.7 g/MJ; P =< 0.001).

The predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption were mostly similar.

Fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with maternal consumption, maternal education status and parental rules about serving fruit/vegetables every day, food expenditure per person and whether the child was choosy about food.

Vegetable consumption was also associated with the other characteristics of the child, such as whether the child enjoyed food and whether the child tried a variety of foods. Children are not eating recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables, particularly boys. Consumption of fruit and vegetables appears to be influenced by parental rules about daily consumption and parental consumption and by the child's choosiness. Parent's actions could influence this.