Availability of public outlets and regular consumption of fruits and vegetables among adolescents in public schools

Abstract

Objective: To assess the association between the presence of public outlets selling fruits and vegetables and the regular intake of these foods by adolescents from public schools in the city of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Methods: Data collection was carried out by a questionnaire answered by the adolescents. Regular intake was defined as eating fruits and vegetables five or more times a week. Environmental data were obtained by assessing the availability and prices of fruits and vegetables traded in public outlets within a 1.6-km radius from 30 randomly selected public schools. Results: A total of 1,232 students from 30 public schools participated in the study. 43.4% of the adolescents reported a regular intake of fruits; 67.0% of them reported a regular intake of vegetables. In the schools, fruit intake ranged from 26.8 to 68.0%, and the vegetables intake ranged from 54.8 to 82.2%. A total of 22 schools had fruit and vegetables being traded in their surroundings. Regular intake of vegetables was positively correlated with their variety (r=0.82; p=0.007). The Moran’s local index indicated low fruit intake in a high-supply region; in other three regions with low supply, there was a high intake of fruits; and there was a high consumption of vegetables in a high-supply region. Conclusions: There are differences in the supply of fruits and vegetables of public outlets in the school’s surroundings as well as in the distribution of regular intake among regions. The density of public outlets and the variety were both associated with greater intake of fruits and vegetables among adolescents of public school.