Tracking of fruit and vegetable consumption from adolescence into adulthood and its longitudinal association with overweight
- 1 August 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in British Journal of Nutrition
- Vol. 98 (2) , 431-438
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114507721451
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to assess to what extent fruit and vegetable intakes track over a 24-year time period and to assess longitudinal associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and (change in) BMI and sum of skinfolds. Dietary intake and anthropometrics were repeatedly assessed for 168 men and women between the ages of 12 and 36 years. Linear general estimating equations analyses were applied (1) to estimate tracking coefficients, (2) to estimate predictability for meeting the national recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake and for being in the highest quartile for fruit and vegetable intake, and (3) to estimate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and BMI and sum of skinfolds. We found that tracking coefficients were 0·33 (P < 0·001) for fruit intake and 0·27 (P < 0·001) for vegetable intake. Mean fruit intake decreased over a 24-year period. For fruit intake, predictability was higher in men than in women (OR 6·02 (P < 0·001) and 2·33 (P = 0·001) for meeting the recommendation for men and women respectively). After adjustment, fruit intake was not associated with BMI, but being in the lowest quartile of fruit intake was significantly associated with a lower sum of skinfolds. Women in the lowest quartiles of vegetable intake had significantly higher BMI and sum of skinfolds and also greater positive changes in these parameters. In conclusion, tracking and predictability for fruit and vegetable intake appear to be low to moderate, which might indicate that fruit and vegetable promotion should be started at an early age and continued into adulthood. Despite the fact that we only observed beneficial weight-maintaining effects of vegetable intake in women, promoting vegetables is important for both sexes because of other positive properties of vegetables. No evidence was found for promoting fruit intake as a means of weight maintenance.Keywords
This publication has 32 references indexed in Scilit:
- Fruit and Vegetable Intake in a Sample of 11-Year-Old Children in 9 European Countries: The Pro Children Cross-Sectional SurveyAnnals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2005
- Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among European Schoolchildren: Rationale, Conceptualization and Design of the Pro Children ProjectAnnals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2005
- Fruit and Vegetable Intake of Mothers of 11-Year-Old Children in Nine European Countries: The Pro Children Cross-Sectional SurveyAnnals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2005
- Netherlands Research programme weight Gain prevention (NHF-NRG): rationale, objectives and strategiesEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005
- Longitudinal changes in diet from childhood into adulthood with respect to risk of cardiovascular diseases: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns StudyEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
- What Can Intervention Studies Tell Us about the Relationship between Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Weight Management?Nutrition Reviews, 2004
- Fruit, vegetables, and antioxidants in childhood and risk of adult cancer: the Boyd Orr cohortJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2003
- Computerization of a dietary history interview in a running cohort; evaluation within the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal StudyEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003
- Stability in Consumption of Fruit, Vegetables, and Sugary Foods in a Cohort from Age 14 to Age 21Preventive Medicine, 2001
- Transitions out of High School: Time of Increased Cancer Risk?Preventive Medicine, 1997