Kanyapak Silarak.. Prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake and the associated factors in older adults in Thailand. Master's Degree(Primary Health Care Management). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2017.
Prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake and the associated factors in older adults in Thailand
Abstract:
Nowadays older adults are the fastest growing segment of the worlds population and this group has increasing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and specific geriatric problems. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, and examine factors associated with insufficient fruit and vegetable intake in adults aged 50 years and older in Thailand ; A cross-sectional study of 3,875 subjects in 16 districts from 14 provinces across different regions of Thailand were included through, multi-stage cluster sampling. The variables collected included socio-demographic factors, lifestyles factors, anthropometric factors, health related factors and fruit and vegetable intake. An electronic form was developed for data entering from all the study sites while a face to face interview method was used to fill up the electronic form of questionnaire and the participants interviewed by trained research assistants. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were performed to examine associations between the independent variables and insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. The results showed that a total of 3,875 of the subjects, and a total 3,787 (97.73%) completed questionnaires were included in the analysis and that the majority (72.9%) were 50 to 69 years old. Overall prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake were 77.4%, 78.3% among men and 76.9% among women. In multivariable analysis, current marital status, household monthly income, region, and tobacco used (Adj OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.04-1.78) were significantly associated with insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. After adjusting for other factors, older adults who used tobacco were 1.36 times more likely to have fruits and vegetable intake than those who did not use. In conclusion, the amount of fruits and vegetables intake by older adults in communities of Thailand, were considerably lower than current recommendations (daily intake of at least five servings or 400 g), and therefore the results suggested that public education and campaigns on adequate consumption of fruits and vegetable should be promoted targeting widowed/ divorced/separate marital status, low household monthly income, north eastern region, and tobacco use. Our findings could help in health promotion policy implementation to increase fruit and vegetable intake among this target group in Thailand.