Predictors of mothers' performance in daily use of five servings of fruit and vegetables by rural preschoolers: Precede model application.

Purpose: Using the PRECEDE model, the purpose of this paper is to determine the predictors of mothers' performance in daily consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) in rural preschoolers. Design/methodology/approach: This study was carried out on 350 mothers of preschool children who had health records in the rural health-care centers of Iran. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire based on the PRECEDE model was used. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 19 software. Findings: The results showed that 11.42 percent of the mothers observed the FV intake for their children recommended by WHO. The independent t-test showed a significant difference between the mean scores of predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors. Originality/value: This study showed that the rate of FV intake by preschool children in rural areas was much lower than the recommended WHO rate. To promote behavior, attention to the predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors seems to be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]