Relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and cigarette smoking in a nationally representative sample

Recent research suggests that smokers who consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day are more likely to quit smoking cigarettes, after adjusting for demographic variables and indicators of health orientation. In this study we assessed the relationship between fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and smoking using an adult population based data set, the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Overall, the smoking prevalence was lower among adults who consumed five or more servings of F&Vs per day (13.1%) than those who consumed less than five servings of F&Vs per day (19.4%). Smokers had a 37% lower odds of consuming five or more servings of F&Vs per day than non-smokers (OR: 0.63, p<.001). The relationship persisted after adjusting for the demographic variables of age, gender, race, and education (AOR: 0.72, p<.001). There was also a statistically significant interaction between all of the analyzed demographic variables and the relationship between F&V consumption and smoking (p<.001) as well as a significantly positive relationship across each of the major strata of education (p<.001). The results suggest a relationship between the major demographic variables and F&V consumption and a potential protective effect of F&V consumption in the relationship between smoking and education. The implications of these findings support the need for further research on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and smoking, most notably in regards to education and common demographic variables.