Amanda Harrod¹, Kimberly Hessler¹, Michael B. Elliott, PhD², and Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD³. (1) Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63104, 314-977-4014, harrodas@slu.edu, (2) Prevention Research Center, Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Salus Center, St. Louis, MO 63104, (3) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104

This abstract utilizes data from High 5 for Kids, a community based dietary change program for parents of preschool children who reside in rural, southeastern Missouri. Parents (n=1254) were primarily young (MN age 28.9 + 7.1), white (77%), overweight (57% with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25; MN BMI 27.1+6.2) females (99%) with 59% reporting annual household incomes under $35,000. Thirty-five percent of parents consumed five or more fruits and vegetables (FV) daily (MN intake 4.1+2.1) excluding French fries. Despite twenty-two percent of parents reporting low availability of FV in the home, the main barrier cited to FV intake was taste (44%), not lack of availability in the community (7%). Thirty-eight percent of parents consume food outside of the home 17 or more times per month. The main reason cited for consuming food away from home was convenience (52%). Parents who reported low availability of FV in the home had an increased frequency of food consumption outside of the home (p=0.001). The more often parents eat out, the lower their intake of FV (r=-.09; p=.001) excluding French fries. Eating out was not significantly correlated with weight (r=0.005; p=0.873). Interventions need to consider the influence of foods consumed away from the home among high-risk populations and efforts should be made to improve the quality of the home food environment and address barriers to FV intake.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to identify multiple environmental and individual factors that influence the availability and the consumption of fruits and vegetables among rural parents in Missouri.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Environment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.