ARS | Publication request: Social Support Is a Primary Influence on Home Fruit, 100% Juice, and Vegetable Availability

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 30, 2007
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Citation: Baranowski, T., Watson, K., Missaghian, M., Broadfoot, A., Cullen, K., Nicklas, T., Fisher, J., Baranowski, J., O'Donnell, S. 2008. Social support is a primary influence on home fruit, 100% juice, and vegetable availability. Journal of American Dietetic Association. 108(7):1231-1235.

Interpretive Summary: In our previous research we generated several new measures of factors likely influencing whether families keep more fruit and vegetables (FaV) in the home. These new measures included frequency of food shopping, purchase, and comparative purchase outcome expectancies (i.e., the perceived benefits and costs of purchasing fruit and vegetables), home food pantry management practices, family social support for purchasing fruit and vegetables, and food shopping practices. In this study we included all the measures in a single predictive model to see which were the most important predictors of home FaV availability. Social support for having the product in the home was a major predictor for both home fruit and vegetable availability. A major limitation of this study was the small sample. These findings need to be replicated with larger samples. Based on these findings, however, intervention projects should try to increase social support for keeping more fruit and vegetables in the home.

Technical Abstract: Children tend to eat more fruit and vegetables when more are available in the home. We proposed and tested a model that predicts the availability at home (hereinafter termed "home availability") of fruit, 100% juice, and vegetables, using new measures of frequency of food shopping, purchase, and comparative purchase outcome expectancies (i.e., the perceived benefits and costs of purchasing fruit and vegetables), home food pantry management practices, family social support for purchasing fruit and vegetables, food shopping practices, and body mass index (BMI). Participants (N=98) were recruited in 2004 in front of grocery stores and completed two telephone interviews. Cross-sectional hierarchical regression was employed with backward deletion of nonsignificant variables. Despite many statistically significant bivariate correlations between the new variables and home fruit, 100% juice, and vegetable availability, social support was the primary predictor of home fruit availability in multivariate regression. BMI and home 100% juice pantry management were the primary predictors of home 100% juice availability. Social support, BMI, and shopping practices were the primary predictors of home vegetable availability. Social support for purchasing fruit, 100% juice, and vegetables was an important, consistent predictor of home availability. These findings need to be replicated in larger samples.