Increasing Vegetable Purchasing and Consumption Among African American Women

Increasing vegetable and fruit consumption can reduce body mass index (Appel, 2003). African American women eat fewer vegetables and fruits compared to other groups (Artinian, 2006). This study examines whether a church-partnered health promotion program was effective in increasing purchasing and consumption of vegetables among African American women. Participants were African American women church members (N=100) who were overweight or obese and/or had hypertension. Participants were randomly selected to receive a stipend to purchase vegetables. Additionally, participants enrolled in the program learned about healthy cooking and eating, engaged in physical activity, and received individualized health coaching. Participants completed a Food Shopping Practices and Consumption questionnaire, which assessed their self-reported levels of purchasing and consuming vegetables. Paired samples t-tests conducted for baseline and posttest times indicated that those enrolled in the program showed increased purchasing, t(1,57)=-3.140, p<0.01 and consumption of vegetables, t(1,57)=-3.684, p<0.01. For those who were not enrolled in the program, there were no significant differences in increase of purchasing, t(1,41)=-1.732, p=0.09 and consumption of vegetables, t(1,41)=-1.511, p=.138. These results suggest that health interventions must tailor health education to participants by incorporating goal-setting and opportunities to practice cooking healthy vegetable dishes. Vegetable stipends in conjunction with health education can increase vegetable consumption by reducing financial barriers for low-income individuals. These findings highlight the economic barrier that often prevents individuals from engaging in healthy dietary behavior, and have important implications for future health promotion interventions designed to increase access to healthy and affordable foods among underserved populations of all ages.