Consumption of fruits and vegetables among older adults: findings from the ELSI-Brazil study

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables and their associated factors in a national sample rep-resentative of the Brazilian population aged 60 or over. Baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted from 2015 to 2016, including 4,982 older individuals, were used. The recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables was assessed based on questions on the weekly and daily frequency of fruits, natural fruit juice, and vegetables. In-take of five or more servings of these foods on five or more days per week was considered as recommended consumption. Exploratory variables included so-cio-demographic characteristics, health behaviors, health conditions, and use of health services. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were used to ex-amine the factors associated with the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables. The prevalence of recommended consumption of fruits and veg-etables was 12.9% (95%CI: 11.5-14.3). This consumption showed associations with gender (women - OR = 1.40; 95%CI: 1.08-1.82), age group (80 years or older - OR = 1.66; 95%CI: 1.16-2.37), education level (8 years or more - OR = 2.07; 95%CI: 1.51-2.86), smoking (former smokers - OR = 0.69; 95%CI: 0.55-0.85 and current smokers - OR = 0.50; 95%CI: 0.33-0.77) and medical appointments in the previous 12 months (OR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.31-2.71). Our findings showed a low prevalence of the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables among older Brazilian adults, drawing attention to the need for policies aimed at increasing this consumption in the studied population.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables among older adults in Brazil and identify associated factors. The findings showed a low prevalence of recommended consumption, with only 12.9% meeting the recommended intake. Factors such as gender, age group, education level, smoking status, and medical appointments were found to be associated with recommended consumption. These findings highlight the need for policies to increase fruit and vegetable intake among older adults.