FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION AMONG WOMEN PARTICIPATING IN WIC

Objective The purpose of this analysis was to assess to what extent so ciodemographic and psychosocial characteristics predict consumption of fruits and vegetables in women served by the Special Supplemental Nut rition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Design Baseline survey data were analyzed for women enrolled in the Maryland WIC 5 A Day promotion Program, a study sponsored by the National Cancer Instit ute. Sociodemographic variables included age, race, education, marital status, working status, pregnancy status, and smoking status. Psychos ocial variables included self-efficacy, knowledge, attitudes, social s upport, and perceived barriers to consuming 5 or more servings daily o f fruits and vegetables. Subjects/setting Analyses are based on 3,122 women enrolled at 15 WIC sites in Baltimore and 6 counties in Maryland . Statistical analyses performed Because psychosocial characteristics were measured on different scales and varied in dispersion, we standar dized scores for these variables. Multiple regression analyses were th en performed to assess contributions of the sociodemographic variables and the standardized psychosocial variable scores to the variance in consumption of fruits and vegetables. Results Sociodemographic variabl es were not powerful predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption. In contrast, an increase of 1 standard deviation in self-efficacy result ed in a mean increase of 0.76 servings, and an increase of 1 standard deviation in perceived barriers resulted in a decrease of 0.50 serving s. About 21% of the variance in consumption was explained by all of th e variables examined. Applications Dietitians and intervention program s should focus on increasing clients' self-efficacy, positive attitude s, and knowledge relating to fruits and vegetables while trying to red uce perceived barriers to consumption of fruits and vegetables.