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The meaning of 'fruits' and 'vegetables'.
- Source :
-
Public health nutrition [Public Health Nutr] 2011 Jul; Vol. 14 (7), pp. 1222-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Jan 28. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Objective: Fruit and vegetable consumption is a focus of research and nutrition education; yet, there is no universal agreement on the meaning of 'fruits' and 'vegetables'. Our objective was to describe survey respondent perceptions about a set of foods with regard to whether the food is a fruit, vegetable or something else.<br />Design: Three cross-sectional studies.<br />Setting: Two small studies involving cognitive interviewing sessions; and one large self-administered population survey.<br />Subjects: US adults in two small studies (n 55 and 80) and one large survey (n 3312), all with multiple race/ethnicities.<br />Results: Perceptions varied. In the survey, rice was considered a vegetable by about 20 % of respondents. In one small study, Spanish speakers were more likely to consider rice a vegetable, and Chinese speakers less likely, than were English speakers. Black beans were frequently classified as something other than vegetable or fruit. Among Hispanics, Spanish speakers were less likely than English speakers to consider beans a vegetable. Overall, tomatoes were classified as both fruit and vegetable, and these perceptions varied by race/ethnicity.<br />Conclusions: Substantial disagreement among the fruit, vegetable and other food domains highlights the importance of clearly defining the desired constructs. Foods that require specific instruction include rice, dried beans, potatoes, tomatoes and fruits and vegetables in mixtures and condiments. For measurement, additional questions or explanations may be needed to clarify which foods are of interest. For communication, the global message to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables should be reinforced with specific guidance.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Black or African American psychology
Black or African American statistics & numerical data
Asian psychology
Asian statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Edible Grain classification
Fabaceae classification
Female
Hispanic or Latino psychology
Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Perception
United States
White People psychology
White People statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
Ethnicity psychology
Fruit classification
Vegetables classification
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1475-2727
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Public health nutrition
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 21272414
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001000368X