Exploring the importance of lifestyle characteristics for developing interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption

PURPOSE: Consuming fruit and vegetables (F&Vs) is a strong protective behavior against many types of cancer. It has also been shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular health and weight loss. Successfully changing dietary behavior, such as increasing F&V consumption, is recognized as more involved than simply changing eating habits – it is often referred to as a lifestyle change. This study examined whether F&V consumption differed among adults classified into different lifestyle groups using a market segmentation approach. METHODS: F&V consumption data were collected from a sample of 1,588 adults (C-72%, Hisp-20%, AA-5%) living in the United States. Responses were obtained via a telephone survey that assessed self-reported F&V consumption using a 6-item F&V module from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Respondents were also asked a series of 35 questions about their general opinions and motivations in life. Applying an established algorithm, these questions, plus 5 demographic questions, were used to classify respondents into 8 different lifestyle groups. RESULTS: ANOVA techniques were used to compare the 8 lifestyle groups. Several of the lifestyle groups' means were significantly different from one another (overall F-test for group mean differences, p=.01). Differences by race/ethnicity were also examined, but no group differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, lifestyle had a strong impact on self-reported F&V consumption, and may offer a relatively simple and effective means to tailor interventions intended to improve F&V consumption. Suggestions for doing this based on this study's findings will be presented for each lifestyle group.