Research & Practice
Relationship between socioeconomic status and fruit and vegetable intake among Washington middle school students
School-based programs that provide fruits and vegetables (FV) to low-income children have the potential to reduce disparities in health behaviors and health outcomes. FV are high in fiber and micronutrients. These low-energy dense foods contribute to satiety and satiation; they may be displaced by higher-energy dense but micronutrient-poor foods from the diet such as salty snacks and baked goods. An abundance of epidemiological evidence suggests that diets high in fruit and vegetables help to promote health and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, stroke, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. In addition, there is growing evidence that FV consumption in children may protect against a range of childhood illnesses (3). Yet in spite of these reported benefits, studies consistently show that average daily FV consumption for both children and adults in the U.S. fall far below national dietary recommendations. Only one in every four American youths age 9 to 18 years old eats the recommended servings of five or more half cup servings of FV per day.
Adherence to dietary guidelines is even lower among youth of low socioeconomic status (SES). A recent review found that low SES in children and adolescents (ranging in age from 6-18 years) is consistently associated with less frequent intake of FV. Specifically, seven out of 14 identified papers showed a positive association for family income of youth while nine out of 11 papers showed a positive association for parental occupation-related SES status, and all (11 out of 11 papers) found that parental education was positively associated with FV consumption. Th purpose of this study was to determine the associations between individual-level measures of socioeconomic status (SES) of middle school students and their rates of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption within the school environment and away from the school environment.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): Master's Thesis
Author(s): Marina Mednik-Vaksman
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2014
Adviser(s):