Högskolan i Skövde

Background: Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake and other adverse dietary habits – along with tobacco and alcohol abuse and sub-optimal physical activity - make up the four most important behavioural risk factors of non-communicable diseases. Low fruit and vegetable intake is particularly associated with burden of high cardiovascular disease. It has received more attention in the last decade, with studies that explore disparities and determinants in their intake, as well as interventions that attempt to improve the intake.

Objectives: Our study aimed to determine fruit and vegetable consumption in a peri-urban community of Nepal and to compare this intake in relation to various socio-demographic variables.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted as a part of the HARDIC (Heart-Health Associated Research and Dissemination in the Community) study in the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site in the Bhaktapur district of Nepal during September-December 2011. Adults from six randomly selected clusters were interviewed by 12 trained interviewers after taking informed consent. WHO-STEPS questions were used to elicit information on fruit and vegetable intake.

Results: Fruit and vegetable intake in the community was low with 2.1 percent of the study population consuming the WHO-recommended five servings per day. There were differences in the intake according to the various sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions: Our study reaffirms low fruit and vegetable intake as a public health problem in the Nepalese context. Health-promotional activities aimed at specific target groups are essential. Multi-sectoral coordination of health and other health-related sectors is therefore vital in addressing the issue.