Mitchell Emily, Áke Crystal, Underhill Steven, Burkhart Sarah
School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia.
Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, University of the Sunshine Coast, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia.
Nutrients. 2025 Apr 29;17(9):1510. doi: 10.3390/nu17091510.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Changes to food systems and food environments across the Pacific Islands region have influenced dietary behaviors. While dietary intake is limited, it is believed that fruit and vegetable consumption is low within these populations. Given the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, this exploratory study aimed to identify the motivators and facilitators of fruit and vegetable intake in a subset of Tongan adults.
Semi-structured, 30 min interviews were conducted in Tongan with 12 participants (5 fieldworkers and 3 female community members who were interviewed separately and 4 women who took part in a small group interview). The responses were translated into English and were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Most participants thought that low fruit and vegetable consumption was of concern in Tongan communities. All participants agreed that diverse fruit and vegetable consumption is a priority for Tongan people and that communities are motivated to consume more fruits and vegetables. A total of 12 themes were derived from the results: 6 motivational and 6 facilitating, including determinants such as dietary patterns (taste and culture), community engagement/working in groups, and financial factors.
While using a small sample size from Tongatapu, this provides a valuable insight from the Tongan communities' perspectives on motivators and facilitators of fruit and vegetable consumption. The results offer policymakers, government, and NGOs contextually relevant and up-to-date data that can be used when developing health and nutrition programs.
背景/目标：太平洋岛屿地区食品体系和食品环境的变化已经影响了饮食行为。尽管饮食摄入量有限，但据信这些人群的水果和蔬菜消费量较低。鉴于食用水果和蔬菜有益健康，这项探索性研究旨在确定汤加成年人群体中水果和蔬菜摄入量的驱动因素和促进因素。
在汤加对12名参与者进行了30分钟的半结构化访谈（5名实地工作者和3名分别接受访谈的女性社区成员，以及4名参加小组访谈的女性）。访谈内容被翻译成英文，并采用主题分析法进行分析。
大多数参与者认为汤加社区的水果和蔬菜消费量较低令人担忧。所有参与者都认为多样化的水果和蔬菜消费是汤加人的优先事项，并且社区有动力增加水果和蔬菜的消费量。研究结果共得出12个主题：6个驱动主题和6个促进主题，包括饮食模式（口味和文化）、社区参与/团队合作以及经济因素等决定因素。
虽然本研究使用的是汤加塔布岛的小样本，但它从汤加社区的角度提供了关于水果和蔬菜消费的驱动因素和促进因素的宝贵见解。研究结果为政策制定者、政府和非政府组织提供了与背景相关的最新数据，可用于制定健康和营养计划。
