Correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among 11-year-old Belgian-Flemish and Dutch schoolchildren

Objective: To determine factors associated with the consumption of fruit and vegetables among 11-year-old schoolchildren in Belgium-Flanders and the Netherlands. Design: In total, 2468 school children from 98 randomly selected schools participated in a cross-sectional survey. Variables measured: Frequency of fruit and vegetable intake and potential personal, social and environmental correlates were measured by means of self-administered, school-based, written questionnaires. Analysis: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess potential correlates of schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption. Separate analyses were conducted for boys and girls. Results: Bringing fruit to school, modeling behavior of parents and friends, parents demanding that their child eat fruit, knowledge about recommended intake levels, liking fruit, and self-efficacy to eat fruit were the strongest correlates of fruit intake. For vegetables, gender, parental demand, parents facilitating the consumption of vegetables by cutting them for their child, modeling behavior of parents and friends, and preferences for vegetables emerged as strongest correlates. No substantial differences in significant correlates were found according to gender. The percentage of explained variance was 33.7% for fruit and 28.4% for vegetable intake. Conclusions: Interventions need to be focused on personal (taste preferences), social (parental influences), and environmental factors (availability).