Promoters and barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among Health Academy Program's users

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate promoters and barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among Health Academy Program's users. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in six Health Academy Program's units in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 62 users. Content analysis was performed using the software NVivo10. Results: The main barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption were: limited access, low purchasing power, price, lack of public initiatives, lack of time, laziness, fruit being considered no more than a food alternative, and not having supper. The most common promotion factors were: health, disease prevention/control, taste, vegetable being considered part of a meal, family habit and background, raise in income, nearly outlets, and purchasing strategies. Conclusion: It is necessary to expand access to fruits and vegetables by strengthening public initiatives that reduce prices and increase production and the number of outlets. Educational interventions should focus on creating reasons for consuming not limited to the health-disease discourse and viable solutions that facilitate the daily intake of fruits and vegetables, either by developing strategies for the acquisition of fruits and vegetables or by expanding the cooking skills to include more practical preparations.

摘要 研究目的：旨在探究健康学院项目（Health Academy Program）用户食用果蔬的阻碍因素与促进因素。研究方法：本研究为质性研究，在巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州贝洛奥里藏特市的6个健康学院项目单元开展，对62名用户实施半结构化访谈，采用NVivo10软件开展内容分析。研究结果：果蔬食用的主要阻碍因素包括：获取途径有限、购买力低下、价格高昂、公共扶持举措缺失、时间不足、惰性、将水果仅视作替代食品、以及不吃晚餐。最为常见的促进因素包括：健康诉求、疾病预防/控制、口感优良、将蔬菜视为餐食必备组成部分、家庭习惯与成长背景、收入提升、售卖点邻近、以及采购策略。研究结论：需通过强化降低果蔬价格、提升产量与增加售卖点数量的公共举措，拓展果蔬获取渠道。教育干预应聚焦于构建不限于健康-疾病话语的食用动机，并开发可行方案以助力日常果蔬摄入——既可通过制定果蔬采购相关策略，也可通过提升烹饪技能以实现更多简易烹调方式。