Fruit and vegetable consumption and food values: National patterns in the United States by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility and cooking frequency.

BACKGROUND: More frequent cooking at home may help improve diet quality and be associated with food values, particularly for individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

OBJECTIVE: To examine patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption and food values among adults (aged 20 and older) in the United States, by SNAP participation and household cooking frequency.

METHODS: Analysis of cross-sectional 24-hour dietary recall data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010 (N=9560).

RESULTS: A lower percentage of SNAP participants consumed fruit (total: 35% vs. 46%, p=0.001; fresh: 30% vs. 41%, p<0.001) and vegetables (total: 49% vs. 58%, p=0.004; fresh: 35% vs. 47%, p<0.001) than those ineligible for SNAP. Among SNAP participants, cooking >6times/week was associated with greater vegetable consumption compared to cooking <2times/week (175g vs. 98g, p=0.003). SNAP-eligible individuals who cooked ≥2times/week were more to report price (medium cookers: 47% vs. 33%, p=0.001; high cookers: 52% vs. 40%, p<0.001), ease of preparation (medium cookers: 36% vs. 28%, p=0.002; high cookers: 36% vs. 24%, p<0.001) and how long food keeps (medium cookers: 57% vs. 45%, p<0.001; high cookers: 61% vs. 50%, p<0.001) as important compared to SNAP-ineligible individuals.

CONCLUSIONS: Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States is low regardless of cooking frequency. Efforts to improve diet quality should consider values on which food purchases are based.