The determination of factors associated with fruit and vegetable intake is an important tool for the development of effective intervention programs aimed at increasing the consumption of these foods. The objective of the present cross-sectional study was to identify the factors associated with the adequate consumption of fruit and vegetables (> 400g/day) among 581 adult Japanese-Brazilians, 1st and 2nd generations of immigrants, living in Bauru, SP, Brazil. Food consumption was estimated using three 24-hour recalls. On adjusted logistic regression models, higher meal frequencies were associated with a better chance of adequate daily intake of fruit and vegetables [OR (95% CI)]: [1.31 (1.05, 1.63)]. Nevertheless, individuals at the highest tertile of saturated fat intake were less likely to have adequate daily intake of these foods [0.35 (0.21, 0.60)]. A trend toward adequate intake of fruit and vegetables was found among older participants. These results suggest that more intensive intervention programs are needed among young individuals with higher saturated fat intake. Moreover, higher meal frequency might promote better adherence to the goals of daily fruit and vegetable intake.
Food consumption; Fruit and vegetables; Japanese-Brazilians; Nutritional epidemiology
