Is Availability of Fruits and Vegetables in the Home Food Environment Related to Fruit and Vegetable Intake?

Background: Foods available in the home food environment (HFE) can influence dietary intake. The purpose of this study was to use an open home food inventory to assess fruits and vegetables in the HFE and their relationship with maternal and child fruit and vegetable intake. Methods: An open home food inventory, where the name, size, and quantity of all foods and beverages in the home were recorded, was conducted to assess the HFE of 22 mothers (40.1 ± 5.4 years, BMI 31.3 ± 12 I<g/m2) with a 6-12 year-old child. Each mother and child also completed a 3-day dietary record. Items in the HFE and dietary records were entered into Nutrition Data Systems for Research to determine servings of fruits and vegetables. Pearson correlations analyzed the relationship between servings of fruits and vegetables in the HFE and fruit and vegetable intake. Results: In the HFE 140.3 ± 82.6 servings of fruit and 260.7 ± 187.3 servings of vegetables were available. Mothers consumed 1.3 ± 1.5 cups/day of fruit and 3.1 ± 2.1 cups/day of vegetables while children consumed 2.3 ± 1.9 cups/day of fruit and 1.7 ± 1.1 cups/day of vegetables. The HFE was significantly correlated with maternal fruit intake (r = 0.496, p = 0.019), but not child intake. This relationship was not seen for vegetables for mothers or children. Conclusion: Greater fruit availability was related to greater fruit intake in mothers, but fruit and vegetable intake of children did not appear to be influenced by HFE availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]