PERCEPTIONS OF PRICE AND STORE AVAILABILITY OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE AMONG ADULTS IN FOUR SOUTH AMERICAN CITIES

ELORRIAGA NATALIA; GUTIERREZ LAURA; CHAPARRO, RAUL MARTIN; MELENDI, SANTIAGO EZEQUIEL; POGGIO, ROSANA; PONZO, JACQUELINE; LANAS, FERNANDO; MORES, NORA; RUBINSTEIN ADOLFO LUIS; IRAZOLA, VILMA E

Buenos Aires

Congreso; IUNS 21st International Congress of Nutrition;; 2017

Background and objectives: Sufficient intake of fruits andvegetable(FV) has been associated with a reduced risk of chronicdiseases and body weight management. South American(SA) dietis characterized by low intakes of FV. There is growing evidence,from developed countries, that consumer nutrition environmentis an important determinant of dietary behavior. We investigatedthe perceptions about FVs availability and price in local foodstores and their associations with FV?s intake among adults inthe following cities: Bariloche, Marcos Paz (Argentina), Temuco(Chile) and Canelones (Uruguay).Methods: We examined data of 5009 men and women, aged40-80y, participating in the CESCAS (Centro de Excelencia enSalud Cardiovascular del Cono Sur) I Study, a population-basedprospective cohort. Perception about the store consumer nutritionenvironment was measured using the Perceived Nutrition EnvironmentMeasurement Survey(NEMS-P) and FV intake with aFood Frequency Questionnaire. Linear and logistic multivariateregression analyses were conducted to assess associations betweenthe perceived environment and FV consumption (mean intakeand frequency of ≥5 servings/d) adjusting for sex, age, city, educationand perceived food insecurity.Results: Average FV intake was 2.5 servings/d; only 7.5%reached ≥5 servings/d. Fifty-two per cent of participants stronglyagreed that in their neighborhood ?it is easy to buy FV?, ?thefresh produce is of high quality?, and ?there is a large selection offresh FV?. However, 71% reported that FV were expensive or very expensive. Adjusting for covariates, those with better perceptionsabout FV store availability reported a slight difference in FV intakes(difference: + 0.28 servings/d, 95%CI: 0.19;0.36) and morefrequently reached ≥5 servings/d (OR:1.40, 95%CI: 1.17;1.76).Price?s perceptions were not associated with FV consumption.Conclusions: Half of the participants had positive perceptionsabout FV availability, quality and large selection in localfood stores, and that was independently associated with higherFV consumption. Most of the adults had a negative perceptionabout price of these foods, however, that perception wasn?t significantlyassociated with FV intakes. This information contributesto the knowledge of nutrition consumer environments in SA andtheir relation with diet behaviors. Comparisons with in-store auditmeasurements will help to further develop interventions to promotehealthy diets in the region.