A Qualitative Study of Perceived Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Populations, North Carolina, 2011

Abstract

IntroductionObesity is the leading preventable cause of illness and a major contributor to chronic disease. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can help manage and prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Low-income communities often lack stores that sell fresh fruit and vegetables and have instead stores that sell foods low in nutritional value. The objective of this study was to understand perceived community-level barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income people.MethodsWe conducted 8 focus groups involving 68 low-income participants in 2 North Carolina counties, from May 2011 through August 2011. The socioecological model of health guided data analysis, and 2 trained researchers coded transcripts and summarized findings. Four focus groups were conducted in each county; 1 was all male, 5 all female, and 2 mixed sexes. Most participants were black (68%), most were women (69.1%), and most had a high school education or less (61.8%). Almost half received support from either the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or another government assistance program.ResultsWe identified 6 major community-level barriers to access to fruits and vegetables: cost, transportation, quality, variety, changing food environment, and changing societal norms on food.ConclusionPolicymakers should consider supporting programs that decrease the cost and increase the supply of high-quality fruits and vegetables in low-income communities.

The role of perceived barriers in explaining socio-economic status differences in adherence to the fruit, vegetable and fish guidelines in older adults: a mediation study

“…groups spend less money on healthy foods than higherincome groups (15,18) and low-education groups lack knowledge about healthy eating compared with highereducation groups (19) . Despite the fact that it is important to investigate SES differences in barriers to healthy eating, research among older adults is scarce.…”

Nutrition knowledge and food consumption practices and barriers in rural Ghana: The case of foods for preventing vitamin A and iron deficiencies

“…Therefore, continuous sensitisation is needed to minimise the negative effects of such beliefs. Barriers such as limited recipes, laziness, dislike for taste of vegetables and chemical and microbial contamination have also been identified in some studies to reduce vegetable consumption [20,21,22].…”

Influence of Information About the Benefits of Consuming Fruit on Consumer Preferences in Temuco, Region of the Araucanía

“…Eating fresh F&V prevent weight gain and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer (HAYNES-MASLOW et al, 2013), which means F&V can be counted as functional foods (PELAYO, 2003). In addition, F&V consumption has a positive effect on mental health, contributing to subjective well-being (BLANCHFLOWER et al, 2013).…”

“…Nevertheless, F&V consumption is below recommended levels (VERBEKE & PIENIACK, 2006), mainly in developing countries (OLAVARRIA; ZACARIAS, 2011). The obstacles to greater F&V consumption are: high cost (BEHE, 2006;PEROSA et al, 2012;HAYNES-MASLOW et al, 2013), lack of quality and variety (PEROSA et al, 2012;HAYNES-MASLOW et al, 2013), poor knowledge of nutrition (SCHNETTLER et al, 2011), and lack of effective promotional campaigns (OLAVARRIA; ZACARIAS, 2011), among others.…”