Prevalence and factors associated with inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables in a population from Northern Angola.

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization recommends a minimum intake of 400 g or five servings of Fruits and Vegetables (FVs) per day for the prevention of chronic diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims to describe the prevalence and factors associated with inadequate FVs intake in a sample of Angolan adults who participated in the CardioBengo study.

METHODS

It is a subset analysis of CardioBengo, a community-based cross-sectional observational study conducted in the Dande Municipality, Bengo Province, Angola.

RESULTS

The sample included 2161 individuals aged 18 to 84, with 64.1% being women. 57.2% of participants was below high school, and only 3.1% attended higher education. 61.7% were married, 48.3% had a monthly income below 150 USD. The prevalence of insufficient FVs consumption in the sample was 86.2%. It was observed that female gender, low education level, and the age group of 20-29 years were associated with inadequate FVs intake (p = 0.010, p = 0.001, and p = 0.006, respectively).

CONCLUSION

There was no association between FVs consumption and cardiovascular risk factors. A prevalence of FVs consumption well below current recommendations was identified. The identified risk factors can serve as a strategy to increase FVs consumption in this population.