J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 Oct;113(10):1366-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.06.348. Epub 2013 Aug 16.
Most young adults do not consume recommended levels of fruits and vegetables (F/V), and interventions to increase F/V-related behaviors among this understudied population are needed. Therefore, it is important to identify correlates of F/V intake among young adults to guide intervention development. This cross-sectional study used data from an online survey to identify factors related to young adults' F/V purchasing, preparation, and consumption, and to explore between-factor relationships using mediation analysis. In 2010, 1,201 college students in Minnesota completed questionnaires assessing F/V behaviors as well as perceptions of F/V-related individual, social, and environmental factors. Factor analysis identified questionnaire items assessing similar constructs. Seven factors were identified (personal barriers, F/V knowledge, family, friends, neighborhood, access barriers, and campus) and evaluated for relationships with F/V purchasing, preparation, and consumption using linear regression. Results revealed that perceived personal barriers (eg, lacking cooking skills) were inversely related to all F/V outcomes. Perception that family and friends eat healthfully and neighborhood access to F/V were positively related to all outcomes. Individual-, social-, and environment-level perceptions were related to purchasing, preparation, and consumption, and the effects of these factors were similar when accounting for mediated effects. Factors at all three levels and the ways in which these various factors operate together may be important to consider in future efforts to improve F/V behaviors among young adults.
大多数年轻人没有达到推荐的水果和蔬菜摄入量（F/V），因此需要针对这一研究不足的人群开展增加与 F/V 相关行为的干预措施。因此，确定年轻人 F/V 摄入量的相关因素对于指导干预措施的发展非常重要。本横断面研究使用在线调查数据，确定了与年轻人 F/V 购买、准备和消费相关的因素，并通过中介分析探讨了各因素之间的关系。2010 年，明尼苏达州的 1201 名大学生完成了评估 F/V 行为以及与 F/V 相关的个人、社会和环境因素的感知的问卷。因素分析确定了评估相似结构的问卷项目。确定了七个因素（个人障碍、F/V 知识、家庭、朋友、邻里、获取障碍和校园），并使用线性回归评估它们与 F/V 购买、准备和消费的关系。结果表明，感知到的个人障碍（例如，缺乏烹饪技能）与所有 F/V 结果呈负相关。感知到家人和朋友吃得健康以及邻里获得 F/V 的机会与所有结果呈正相关。个人、社会和环境层面的看法与购买、准备和消费有关，并且在考虑中介效应时，这些因素的影响是相似的。所有三个层面的因素以及这些不同因素相互作用的方式可能是未来提高年轻人 F/V 行为的努力中需要考虑的重要因素。
