Predicting intentions to meet fruit & vegetable recommendations among black emerging adult women

Abstract

Objective

To examine Black emerging adult women’s (ages 18–29) intention to meet the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Participants: Black emerging adult women (BEAW; N = 100). Methods: A cross-sectional survey design. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that in Model 1, attitudes (p<.0001) and subjective norms (p<.05) were significant predictors of intentions to meet the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. In Model 2, attitudes (p=.0001) and perceived behavioral control (p<.0001) were revealed to be significant predictors of intentions. The change in R squared from Model 1 (R2=.304) and Model 2 (R2=.559), was 0.255 (F = 40.08, p<.0001) with the addition of perceived behavioral control to the second model. Conclusion: The TPB may be a suitable framework to assess factors associated with fruit and vegetable intentions among BEAW. Interventions designed to increase fruit and vegetable intake in BEAW should prioritize modifying perceived behavioral control.

Keywords:

• Black women
• emerging adults
• fruits and vegetables
• self-efficacy
• theory of planned behavior

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Jesse Chittams, MS and the interns in the Biostatistics department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing for their assistance with data analysis. The authors also thank the women who participated in this research.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Pennsylvania.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.