FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE IN THE UNITED-STATES - THE BASE-LINE SURVEY OF THE 5 A DAY FOR BETTER HEALTH-PROGRAM

Purpose. The purpose of the Five A Day Baseline Survey was to assess f ruit and vegetable intake and associated factors among US adults. Desi gn. Questionnaires querying frequency of intake of 33 fruits and veget ables, as well as demographics, attitudes, and knowledge related to fr uits and vegetables were administered by telephone. Setting. The study was a nationally representative random digit dial survey conducted by telephone in the summer of 1991; response rate was 42.8%. Subjects. R espondents were 2811 US adults (including an oversample of African-Ame ricans and Hispanics). Measures. Mean and median self-reported intakes of fruits and vegetables were calculated. Estimated servings per week were adjusted on the basis of responses to summary questions regardin g overall fruit and vegetable intakes. Results. Median intake of fruit s and vegetables was 3.4 servings per day. Linear regressions (account ing for no more than 10% of the variation) showed that education, inco me, and smoking status were predictors of fruit and vegetable intake a nd that intake increased with education, income, and nonsmoking status . Women had higher intakes than men at all ages; these differences bet ween men and women increased with age. Fruit and vegetable intakes inc reased with age for whites and Hispanics, but not for African-American s. Conclusions. Fruit and vegetable intake among adults in the United States is lower than the recommended minimum of five daily servings. T hese data will be useful in targeting campaign efforts and in assessin g progress of the Five A Day for Better Health Program.