Abstract
Objective: We examined 2 associations between measures of vegetable intake and daily amounts of vegetable consumed. One measure is stage of vegetable intake, and the other is self-reported number of vegetable dishes consumed. In addition, we examined the association between number of vegetable dishes consumed and achievement of the target vegetable intake, which was 350 g per day.
Methods: Questionnaire and 2 day dietary record data for 385 middle-aged adults (164 men and 221 women) aged 30~59 years who participated in the 2011 Saitama Prefecture Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed. For the first part of the questionnaire, the subjects were asked about the number of vegetable dishes consumed in a day; in the second part, the readiness for behavior change was asked. We calculated the amount of vegetable intake in 2 ways: total amount including vegetable juice, and total amount without vegetable juice.
Results: In this study, the male subjects showed significant associations between stage of vegetable intake and amount consumed. Significant associations between number of vegetable dishes consumed and amount including vegetable juice were observed for both men and women. When examining the amount without vegetable juice, the adjusted odds ratios for both men and women with a vegetable intake of ≥350 g were significantly higher in the group that consumed 5 or 6 vegetable dishes a day than in the group that consumed ≤2 dishes.
Conclusion: These results suggest that the number of vegetable dishes consumed may be a simpler and more valid measure of vegetable intake, than stage of vegetable intake for both men and women.
