Knowledge about consumption of fruits and vegetables: comparison between portuguese and french consumers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0220e.40089Keywords:
dietary habits; fruit consumption; vegetable consumption; healthy diet; country differencesAbstract
Introduction: Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables in the recommended dosages is encouraged as a way to achieve a good health status to fight against chronic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. However, in the present industrialized food systems, there is a trend to consume lower amounts of these foods, resulting in complex public health issues and burdens.
Objective: To investigate the level of knowledge about the effect of the consumption of fruits and vegetables on human health for a sample of French and Portuguese participants.
Methods: A questionnaire, a cross-sectional, convenient type of survey was carried out in both countries, in 2020-2021. The questionnaire was prepared, translated, and data were collected online. The questionnaire contained eleven items to be responded to on a 5-point Likert scale of disagreement/agreement, varying from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). A total of 640 participants answered the questionnaire, of which 383 were French and 257 were Portuguese.
Results: The results showed that a significant fraction of the participants (60,3%) are informed about the effects of consuming vegetables and fruits in fighting cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, most of the participants (77,2%) know that these foods are rich in micronutrients like vitamins and minerals or bioactive compounds beneficial to the proper functioning of the human body. Still, a considerable number need to improve their knowledge, as this is more evident among the Portuguese participants than among the French (33,8% of uninformed in Portugal compared to 15,5% in France).
Conclusion: The participants' knowledge is insufficient, so more actions are needed to increase knowledge as a way to encourage the real consumption of fruits and vegetables, in order to meet the guidelines for a healthy diet.
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