Nutrition - Adult Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Percentage of Adults Who Reported Consuming 5+ Fruits and Vegetables Each Day by County, New Mexico, 2015, 2017, 2019
Why Is This Important?
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other compounds that may help prevent many chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers (1). Eating vegetables and fruits rich in potassium may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss (1). Fruits and vegetables can also help people to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, because they are relatively low in energy density (2). To promote health and prevent chronic diseases, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day for a standard 2,000 calorie diet, with varying recommendations based on an individual's age, gender, and activity level (3).
Definition
Percentage of adults who report consuming fruits and vegetables five or more times per day. The fruit and vegetable (5-a-Day) consumption questions were administered only in odd years.
Data Sources
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/ibeb/brfss/) - U.S. data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence and Trends Data.
(https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of adults who report consuming fruits and vegetables five or more times per day |
| Denominator: | Number of adults in the survey sample |
How Are We Doing?
The majority of New Mexico adults do not consume 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables a day. American Indians were significantly more likely to consume 5+ servings per day than Hispanics and Whites, and women were significantly more likely to consume 5+ servings per day than men.
What Is Being Done?
The NM Department of Health (NMDOH) Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Program; the NMDOH Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program; the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDIPR), and NM State University are coordinating efforts to provide monthly scheduled nutrition education through food tastings and cooking demonstrations for WIC and FDIPR recipients using fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Evidence-based Practices
For people to make healthy food choices, healthy food options must be available and accessible. Families living in low-income neighborhoods and rural areas of the state often have less access to healthier food and beverage choices than those in more urban, higher-income areas. Below are some strategies communities may use to support healthy eating (4): - Making healthy food choices available and affordable in public venues - Restricting availability of less healthy options in public venues - Improve geographic availability of supermarkets in underserved areas - Provide incentives to food retailers to locate in and/or offer healthier food and beverage choices in underserved areas - Improve availability of mechanisms for purchasing goods from farms - Provide incentives for the production, distribution, and procurement of foods from local farms - Limit advertisements of less healthy foods and beverages
Other Objectives
Additional relevant HP2020 objectives: NWS-14: Increase the contribution of fruits to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older NWS-15.1: Increase the contribution of total vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older NWS-15.2: Increase the contribution of dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, and legumes to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older New Mexico Community Health Status Indicator (CHSI)
Available Services
Produce for Better Health, Fruits & Veggies--More Matters www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov
More Resources
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, My Plate. Why is it important to eat vegetables? January 2016. [Online Access] https://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables-nutrients-health. 2. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Can eating fruits and vegetables help people to manage their weight? Research to Practice Series No. 1. [Online Access] http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/rtp_practitioner_10_07.pdf. 3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 - 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. [Online Access] https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/. 4. Laura Kettel Khan, PhD. Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States. CDC, MMWR July 24, 2009 / 58(RR07);1-26. [Online Access] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm?s_cid=rr5807a1_e.