Self-efficacy and cooking confidence are associated with fruit and vegetable intake in a cross-sectional study with rural women. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: In comparison to their urban and suburban counterparts, midlife and older rural women are less likely to consume adequate fruit and vegetables (F&V). The present study aimed to examine the relationships between psychological, social, and environmental factors and F&V intake among midlife and older rural women in the United States. METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized data from 513 midlife and older rural women (mean age=67.0, mean BMI=26.8) living in 22 states. Linear regression models were used to examine the associations between women's daily F&V intake and cooking confidence, healthy eating self-efficacy, perceived stress, healthy eating social support, and perceived food environment. RESULTS: Cooking confidence (p<0.001) and healthy eating self-efficacy (p<0.001) were positively associated with F&V intake. Perceived stress, healthy eating social support, and perceived food environment were not associated with F&V intake (p>0.05). When all the independent variables were analyzed simultaneously, only healthy eating self-efficacy remained positively associated with F&V intake (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from our study provide important information on the influences of rural women's healthy eating self-efficacy and cooking confidence on their F&V intake. Our results may be useful to inform and evaluate targeted strategies to improve the dietary health of rural women.

published proceedings

  • Eat Behav

altmetric score

  • 5.08

author list (cited authors)

  • Lo, B. K., Loui, C., Folta, S. C., Flickinger, A., Connor, L. M., Liu, E., Megiel, S., & Seguin, R. A.

citation count

  • 4

complete list of authors

  • Lo, Brian K||Loui, Christine||Folta, Sara C||Flickinger, Angela||Connor, Leah M||Liu, Evelyn||Megiel, Sarah||Seguin, Rebecca A

publication date

  • April 2019