Louise A. Mainvil

Validation of brief instruments to measure adult fruit and vegetable consumption.

Four brief food frequency questionnaires were developed and validated to measure an adults usual daily intake of fruit or vegetable servings over the past month. Fifty males and 50 females, aged 25-52 years, completed two fruit instruments, two vegetable instruments, and a dietary history (the reference method). Individual agreement and group mean estimation were assessed. The 5-item fruit instrument and the 15-item vegetable instrument performed best. At an individual level, the 5-item fruit instrument had 64% sensitivity and 88% specificity for assessing goal attainment (≥ 2 fruit servings/day), while the 15-item vegetable instrument had 67% sensitivity and 82% specificity for measuring goal attainment (≥ 3 vegetable servings/day). At a group level, the 15-item vegetable instrument closely estimated mean intake (ratio of geometric means=0.94), while the 5-item fruit instrument overestimated mean intake by 32%. Nevertheless, when it was used to rank participants, reference method fruit servings increased across the quartiles of intake. These two instruments can be used to assess goal attainment. This vegetable instrument can also be used to estimate group mean intakes, while the fruit instrument can be used to rank participants. Used appropriately, these instruments can be used for screening, monitoring, and evaluation purposes in New Zealand public health and clinical settings.

Secular changes in intakes of foods among New Zealand adults from 1997 to 2008/09.

OBJECTIVE To examine changes in the food choices of New Zealand (NZ) adults, between the 1997 National Nutrition Survey (NNS97) and the 2008/09 NZ Adult Nutrition Survey (2008/09 NZANS). DESIGN The 2008/09 NZANS and the NNS97 were cross-sectional surveys of NZ adults (aged 15 years and over). Dietary intake data were collected using a computer-based 24 h diet recall. Logistic regression models were used to examine changes over time in the percentage reporting each food group, with survey year, sex and age group (19-30 years, 31-50 years, 51-70 years, ≥71 years) as the variables. SETTING NZ households. SUBJECTS Adults aged 19 years and over (NNS97, n 4339; 2008/09 NZANS, n 3995). RESULTS In the 2008/09 NZANS compared with NNS97, males and females were less likely to report consuming bread, potatoes, beef, vegetables, breakfast cereal, milk, cheese, butter, pies, biscuits, cakes and puddings, and sugar/confectionery (all P<0.001). In contrast, there was an increase in the percentage reporting rice and rice dishes (P<0.001), and among females a reported increase in snacks and snack bars (e.g., crisps, extruded snacks, muesli bars; P=0.007) and pasta and pasta dishes (P=0.017). Although food choices were associated with sex and age group, there were few differential changes between the surveys by sex or age group. CONCLUSIONS For all age groups there was a shift in the percentage who reported consuming the traditional NZ foods, namely bread, beef, potatoes and vegetables, towards more rice and rice dishes. Declines in the consumption of butter, pies, biscuits, cakes and puddings are congruent with current dietary guidelines.

Validated Scales to Assess Adult Self-Efficacy to Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Purpose. An audience-centered approach was used to develop valid and reliable scales to measure adult self-efficacy to eat fruit and vegetables. Design. Cross-sectional survey of a national population. Setting. New Zealand. Subjects. A sample of 350 adults ages 25 to 60 years was randomly selected from a nationally representative sampling frame. Overall, 231 questionnaires were returned, producing a 72% response rate. The mean age of subjects was 42.7 years; 58% were female; 80% were of European descent; 11% were indigenous Maori. Measures. The 76–item, self-administered questionnaire collected data on demographics, fruit and vegetable intakes, stages of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy (24 items). Analysis. Principal components analysis with oblimin rotation was performed. Results. Principal components analysis yielded three distinct and reliable scales for self-efficacy to eat “vegetables, ” “fruit, ”and “fruit and vegetables” (Cronbach α = .80, .85, and .73, respectively). These scales were correlated, but only the “vegetable” scale was positively correlated with the “fruit and vegetable” scale (Kendall tau r = 0.30, −0.26 [fruit, “fruit and vegetables”], −0.38 [fruit, vegetable]). As predicted, self-efficacy was associated with intake (r = 0.30 [fruit], 0.34 [vegetables]). Conclusion. Assuming the factor structure is confirmed in independent samples, these brief, psychometrically sound scales may be used to assess adult self-efficacy to eat fruit and to eat vegetables but not self-efficacy to eat “fruit and vegetables. ”

Let them eat fruit! The effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on psychological well-being in young adults: A randomized controlled trial

This study tested the psychological benefits of a 14-day preregistered clinical intervention to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in 171 low-FV-consuming young adults (67% female, aged 18–25). Participants were randomly assigned into a diet-as-usual control condition, an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) condition involving text message reminders to increase their FV consumption plus a voucher to purchase FV, or a fruit and vegetable intervention (FVI) condition in which participants were given two additional daily servings of fresh FV to consume on top of their normal diet. Self-report outcome measures were depressive symptoms and anxiety measured pre- and post-intervention, and daily negative and positive mood, vitality, flourishing, and flourishing behaviors (curiosity, creativity, motivation) assessed nightly using a smartphone survey. Vitamin C and carotenoids were measured from blood samples pre- and post-intervention, and psychological expectancies about the benefits of FV were measured post-intervention to test as mediators of psychological change. Only participants in the FVI condition showed improvements to their psychological well-being with increases in vitality, flourishing, and motivation across the 14-days relative to the other groups. No changes were found for depressive symptoms, anxiety, or mood. Intervention benefits were not mediated by vitamin C, carotenoids, or psychological expectancies. We conclude that providing young adults with high-quality FV, rather than reminding them to eat more FV (with a voucher to purchase FV), resulted in significant short-term improvements to their psychological well-being. These results provide initial proof-of-concept that giving young adults fresh fruit and vegetables to eat can have psychological benefits even over a brief period of time. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000183583

The social value of rescuing food, nourishing communities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the social value food rescue enterprises can create for both their stakeholders and the wider community “in the meantime” whilst longer term solutions to the problems of insecurity and waste are sought. Design/methodology/approach FoodShare, a New Zealand urban-based social enterprise specialising in food redistribution, served as a case study for this research. Semi-structured interviews (n=13) were conducted with FoodShare staff and key stakeholder groups (food donors, financial donors, recipient agencies and volunteers). In addition, an anonymous online survey (n=40) was completed by the wider organisational volunteer network. The interview guides were structured around a new social value evaluation tool, Social Return on Investment, which is increasingly used to demonstrate the impact of such programmes. Deductive methods were used to code the resulting transcripts to identify key outcomes experienced by FoodShare’s stakeholders. Findings The outcomes of FoodShare’s work differed for the various stakeholders. For food donors, outcomes included “more involved relationships with community”, and “improved perceptions of corporate social responsibility”. Identified key outcomes for the financial donors included “key promotional opportunity” and “do something good”. For recipient agencies, important outcomes were “greater volume of food” and “increased reach”. Volunteers reported “meeting new people”, “a sense of accomplishment in helping others” and “learning new skills”. There were also a number of nutritional and environmental outcomes for the wider community. Originality/value Given the dearth of evidence on the societal value that is created in redistributing unsold food to people in need, this novel perspective makes a significant contribution to the literature in this area.