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Associations Between Vegetable‐and‐Fruit Consumption and Food Deserts: Urban Adults 40+ years, NHANES 2003‐2010
Author(s) -
Gahche Jaime,
Sahyoun Nadine
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.132.6
Subject(s) - low income , national health and nutrition examination survey , consumption (sociology) , confounding , demography , environmental health , medicine , agriculture , household income , food group , gerontology , geography , socioeconomics , economics , population , social science , archaeology , pathology , sociology
Food deserts (FD) in urban areas are defined as areas where affordable and healthy food is difficult to obtain because of lack of available supermarkets or large grocery stores. Research has been inconsistent in regards to FD status and the association with fruit‐and‐vegetable (F/V) consumption. This study describes the linkage of data from the 2003‐2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the United States Department of Agriculture's FD locator database in order to describe the relationship between FD status and income with F/V consumption. Analysis was restricted to those aged 40+ years, living in an urban area and characterized into 3 groups; low‐income living in a FD (low‐income FD), low‐income not living in a FD (low‐income non‐FD), and higher income not living in a FD (higher‐income non‐FD). Selected demographic, behavioral, nutritional, and health related outcomes were characterized. Linear regression models were constructed to examine the association between the 3 groups and F/V consumption. Mean cup equivalents of vegetables were: low‐income FD 1.2 (95% CI 1.1‐1.4), low‐income non‐FD 1.5 (95% CI 1.5‐1.6) and higher‐income non‐FD 1.7 (95% CI 1.7‐1.8). After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that the low‐income non‐FD group consumed 0.21 (95% CI ‐0.02, 0.04, P=0.0337) and the higher‐income non‐FD consumed 0.24 (95% CI 0.02, 0.45, P=0.0308) more cup equivalents of vegetables on any given day compared with the low‐income FD group. Consumption of fruit did not differ between the groups. These findings suggest that low‐income urban adults living in a FD did differ in their vegetable consumption, but not fruit consumption, compared to both low‐income and higher‐income non‐FD inhabitants.