Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156476
Title: AVAILABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND PREFERENCES FOR FRUIT, 100% FRUIT JUICE, AND VEGETABLES INFLUENCE CHILDREN'S DIETARY BEHAVIOR.

Author
item Cullen, Karen
item Baranowski, Thomas
item Owens, Emiel
item MARSH, TARA - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item RITTENBERRY, LATROY - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item DE MOOR, CARL - UNIV OF TX MD ANDERSON C

Submitted to: Health Education and Behavior
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2003
Publication Date: 10/1/2003
Citation: Cullen, K., Baranowski, T., Owens, E., Marsh, T., Rittenberry, L., De Moor, C. 2003. Availability, accessibility, and preferences for fruit, 100% fruit juice, and vegetables influence children's dietary behavior. Health Education and Behavior. 30(5):615-26.

Interpretive Summary: Children do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. Whether certain foods are available in the home should influence their consumption. This study investigated whether fruit, juice, and vegetable availability in the home and preferences for FJV were related to consumption of FJV. Children completed food records and a questionnaire assessing FJV availability and accessibility in the home. Parents completed a similar questionnaire. For girls, child-reported FJV availability and accessibility were important influences on FJV consumption. For children with high FJV preferences, FJV availability was the only significant predictor, whereas both availability and accessibility were significantly related to consumption for children with low FJV preferences. Interventions targeting child dietary behaviors may need to tailor to the home environment, separately by gender. Extra efforts are necessary by parents to enhance accessibility among children who do not like FJV.

Technical Abstract: The relationships among home fruit (F), 100% fruit juice (J), and vegetable (V) availability and accessibility separately, as reported by 225 4th to 6th grade children and their parents (n=88), separately, and FJV preferences to child-reported FJV consumption were assessed. For girls, child-reported FJV availability and accessibility accounted for 35% of the variability in FJV consumption. Child-reported availability and parent reported accessibility were significantly correlated with child FJV consumption in a combined model. For children with high FJV preferences, FJV availability was the only significant predictor, whereas both availability and accessibility were significantly related to consumption for children with low FJV preferences. Interventions targeting child dietary behaviors may need to tailor to the home environment, separately by gender. Extra efforts are necessary by parents to enhance accessibility among children who do not like FJV.