Home availability of vegetables, barriers to purchasing and preparing vegetables, and vegetable intake in a sample of primarily low-income, Hispanic children

Background: Obesity prevalence in American children disproportionately affects low-income children. Consumption of vegetables is a dietary factor that is often targeted to promote weight loss and decrease risk of obesity, and has shown a relationship with home vegetable availability, though no studies have examined this relationship in a large, predominantly low-income, Hispanic sample. Objective: To examine the association between availability of different types of vegetables in the home, perceived parental barriers to vegetable purchase and preparation, and child vegetable intake in a low-income, Hispanic sample. Design: Secondary cross-sectional analysis of TX Sprouts. Participants: 1925 students from twelve elementary schools who have >50% Hispanic enrollment and >50% of children receiving free and reduced lunches in the Greater Austin area. Main Outcomes Measures: Parents/guardians completed a questionnaire packet that included information about free/reduced lunch program (FRL) participation, availability of fresh, canned, frozen, and cut-up vegetables and salad in the home, and perceived barriers to purchasing/preparing vegetables. Child-reported dietary intake data was collected via 14-item validated dietary screener. Statistical Analyses Performed: Negative binomial regression was used to examine the relationship between home vegetable availability and vegetable intake. Chi-square analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between barriers to purchasing/preparing vegetables and home vegetable availability. Results: Children who had fresh vegetables, cut-up vegetables, and salad available in the home “all of the time” consumed more vegetables than those who had them in the home “never”, “sometimes”, or “most of the time” (p<0.05). Participants were less likely to have vegetables in the home “all of the time” if they perceived them as expensive, inaccessible, or perishable, or if they did not have the time, skills, or family assistance to prepare/cook vegetables (p<0.01). Conclusions: Addressing barriers to the purchase and preparation of vegetables in the home may be a cost-effective policy target to promote vegetable intake for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds.Nutritional Science

A literature-based comparison of nutrient and contaminant contents between organic and conventional vegetables and potatoes

Purpose - The increasing demand for organic foods is explained mainly by consumers' concerns about the quality and safety of foods and their perception that organically produced foods are healthier and safer than conventional foods. Based on internationally available concentration data of organic and conventional vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach) and potatoes, the paper aims to investigate the scientific validity of nutrition claims as "no vegetable/potato has higher amounts of nutrient X than organic vegetables/potatoes" and "no vegetable/potato has lower amounts of contaminant Y than organic vegetables/potatoes". Design/methodology/approach - Detailed nutrient and contaminant databases were developed for organic and conventional vegetables separately. Non-parametric (Mann-Whitney test) methods were used to detect significant differences between both types of vegetables. A chi-square test was used to compare the incidence of pesticide residues in organic and conventional vegetables. Findings - From a nutritional and toxicological point of view, organic vegetables and potato in general are not significantly better than conventional vegetables and potatoes. For some nutrients and contaminants organic vegetables and potatoes score significantly better but for others they score significantly worse. Therefore, it becomes difficult to justify general claims indicating a surplus value of organic over conventional vegetables and potatoes. More data from controlled paired studies are needed to reconsider the use of claims for these organic plant foods in the future. Research limitations/implications - Only a limited number of studies comparing the nutrient and/or contaminant concentration of organic and conventional vegetables are available ("paired studies"). Additionally, the majority of the studies are of moderate or poor quality. The implication is that more of those paired studies are heavily needed. Another limitation of the study is the fact that most pesticide residue data originated from the USA, the EU and Australia. Originality/value - So far only few studies compared both nutrient and contaminant contents between organic and conventional plant foods. This paper covers therefore an important, not well-explored research sub area

Purchasing Power, Fruits Vegetables Consumption, Nutrition Status Among Elementary School Student

Food purchasing power is usually defined as a household\u27s economic ability to obtain food which is determined by measuring the income allocated for food purchase, the price of food consumed, and the number of family members. More than 50% of the sub-districts in South Central Timor are vulnerable to food consumption due to their low purchasing power, thus causing low fruits and vegetables consumption. To analyze the correlation between purchasing power, fruits and vegetables consumption, with nutrition status of elementary school students. Analytic observational using a cross sectional design. Sample size of 108 students was achieved using simple random sampling method. Independent variables are purchasing power, fruits and vegetables consumption. Dependent variable is nutrition status. Fruits and vegetables consumption data was collected using food frequency, purchasing power data was collected using questionnaires, and nutrition status was collected by calculating IMT/U. The statistics tests used were chi square test. The mean number of fruits and vegetables consumption of the elementary students was 0,36±0,483 and the mean number of purchasing power was 2,80±0,405. Bivariate study test results show a significant correlation between purchasing power and nutrition status (p=0,039) and a significant correlation between fruits and vegetables consumption and nutrition status (p=0,000). There is a correlation between purchasing power, fruits and vegetables consumption, and nutrition status in elementary school students

Development of freeze dried vegetables

The development of freeze dried vegetables to be used in the Apollo food system is discussed. After the initial selection and screening of vegetables, several types of freeze dried vegetables were prepared in small batches. From these small batches, two vegetables were judged satisfactory for further testing and evaluation. These vegetables, mashed potatoes and asparagus, were subjected to storage at 100 deg plus or minus 5 F. for two weeks and then taste tested. The vegetables were also tested to determine if they complied with the microbiological requirements for Apollo food. The space food prototype production guide for the vegetables is submitted

Low-income consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards access, availability and motivation to eat fruit and vegetables

To determine low-income consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards fruit and vegetables, in particular issues of access to, affordability of and motivation to eat fruit and vegetables. Design and setting: Questionnaire survey mailed to homes owned by a large UK housing association. Participants: Participants were 680 low-income men and women, aged 17-100 years. Results: Age, employment, gender, smoking and marital status all affected attitudes towards access, affordability and motivation to eat fruit and vegetables. Few (7%) participants experienced difficulty in visiting a supermarket at least once a week, despite nearly half having no access to a car for shopping. Fruit and vegetables were affordable to this low-income group in the amounts they habitually bought; purchasing additional fruits and vegetables was seen as prohibitively expensive. Less than 5% felt they had a problem with eating healthily and yet only 18% claimed to eat the recommended 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Conclusions: Supported by research, current UK Government policy is driven by the belief that low-income groups have difficulties in access to and affordability of fruit and vegetables. Findings from this particular group suggest that, of the three potential barriers, access and affordability were only a small part of the 'problem' surrounding low fruit and vegetable consumption. Thus, other possible determinants of greater consequence need to be identified. We suggest focusing attention on motivation to eat fruit and vegetables, since no dietary improvement can be achieved if people do not recognise there is a problem

Regional differences in willingness to pay for organic vegetables

The concern about vegetable safety, together with a booming population and the rise of the middle class has made Vietnam become a potential market for organic vegetables. This paper investigates the determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for organic vegetables in Hanoi, Vietnam with a particular attention to regional differences and the effect of risk perception. Using Contingent Valuation Method to analyze the data from a sample of 498 consumers in Hanoi, the paper shows that the perceived use values of organic vegetables, trust in organic labels, and disposable family income increased WTP for organic vegetables in both urban and rural regions.Though risk perception of conventional vegetables was high in both regions, such heightened risk perception just translated into the WTP in the rural region. In addition, the percentage of home-grown vegetables in the total vegetable consumption of the family influenced the WTP in the rural region only. Moreover, being an organic purchaser was positively related to the WTP in the urban region but not in the rural region. The paper also discusses three policy implications for Vietnam to boost the demand for organic food.fals

Gambaran Pengetahuan Dan Perilaku Ibu Dalam Pemberian Sayur Pada Anak Usia Prasekolah Di Kelurahan Sukajaya Palembang

Background: Vegetables have several benefits such as energy source, vitamin source, supporting eye health, immunity, and building the body cells. The impact of eating fewer vegetables on preschoolers can have an impact such as malnutrition, obesity risk, anemia, body weakness, fatigue, lethargy, lack of concentration, and laziness. Vegetables play an important role in developing preschoolers. The numbers of children eat fewer vegetables under the age of 5 years reach 95.5% where in South Sumatera, the number of preschoolers who have less vegetable consumption reaches 96.5%. According to the World Health Organization, preschoolers and school-age children are encouraged to consume vegetables as much as 300- 400 grams per person per day. Purpose: to investigate the description of knowledge and behavior of mother in giving vegetables to preschoolers in Sukajaya village of Palembang city. Method: The study is categorized as quantitative research with a descriptive design. The population used in this study are all respondents who had preschool children in Sukajaya Sub- district in Palembang city. The study used the total sampling techniques with a total sample of 70 respondents. Result: The result shows that the respondents who has less knowledge are 29 respondents (41.4%), has quite good knowledge are 26 respondents (37.1%), and good knowledge are 15 respondents (21.4%). Moreover, the numbers of respondent who have good behavior in giving vegetables to their preschool children are 37 respondents (52.9%) for the mother who have negative behavior, and 33 respondents (47.1%) for the mother who have positive behavior. The result also finds that the posyandu nurses can provide a counseling program and information about basic knowledge and behavior in giving vegetables to preschool children. The mother can upgrade their knowledge and behavior in giving vegetables by finding the information from health workers and media. All of these activities can increase the knowledge and behavior of the mother

The nutritional and toxicological value of organic vegetables : consumer perception versus scientific evidence

Purpose - The present study aims to explore and compare consumer perception and scientific evidence related to food quality and food safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables. Design/methodology/approach - Primary data on consumer perception were gathered in 2006-2007 through a consumer survey with Flemish adults (n = 529) and compared with scientific evidence from literature. Consumers of organic and conventional vegetables were selected by means of a convenience sampling procedure. Subjects were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire concerning the perception of the nutritional and toxicological value of organic relative to conventional vegetables. Data processing and analysis included descriptive analysis (frequency distributions), data reduction (Cronbach's alpha test, factor analysis), bivariate analysis (correlations, t-test, ANOVA) and multivariate analysis (stepwise multiple regression). Findings - It was found that organic vegetables are perceived as containing less contaminants and more nutrients, and as such, being healthier and safer compared to conventional vegetables. However, not enough evidence is currently available in the literature to support or refute such a perception, indicating a certain mismatch between consumer perception and scientific evidence. The gap between perception and evidence is larger among older consumers with children. The perception is stronger when the consumption frequency is higher, but is independent of gender, place of residence (rural or urban), education and income level. Also non-users, on average, perceive that organic vegetables have a nutritional and toxicological advantage over conventional vegetables. Research limitations/implications - A non-probability convenience sampling method was applied which limits generalisation of the findings beyond the sample characteristics. Originality/value - This paper is original in comparing consumer perception and scientific facts related to both nutritional and safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables

Differences in Thermal Stability of Glucosinolates in Five Brassica Vegetables

The thermal stability of individual glucosinolates within five different Brassica vegetables was studied at 100°C for different incubation times up to 120 minutes. Three vegetables that were used in this study were Brassica oleracea (red cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts) and two were Brassica rapa (pak choi and Chinese cabbage). To rule out the influence of enzymatic breakdown, myrosinase was inactivated prior to the thermal treatments. The stability of three glucosinolates that occurred in all five vegetables (gluconapin, glucobrassicin and 4-methoxyglucobrassicin) varied considerably between the different vegetables. The degradation could be modeled by first order kinetics. The rate constants obtained varied between four to twenty fold between the five vegetables. Brussels sprouts showed the highest degradation rates for all three glucosinolates. The two indole glucosinolates were most stable in red cabbage, while gluconapin was most stable in broccoli. These results indicate the possibilities for plant breeding to select for cultivars in which glucosinolates are more stable during processin