Associations between Farm-to-Consumer Outlet Use and Motivations to Consume Fruits & Vegetables

Background: Farm-to-Consumer (FTC) outlets (i.e. farmers markets, farm stands etc.) have been cited as a possible community-level obesity prevention strategy. Identifying shopping behaviors and motivations to consume fruits and vegetables among those that frequent these outlets might help us better gauge the potential of this strategy. The aim of this research is to examine associations between motivations to consume fruits and vegetables and frequent FTC usage.

Methods: Data on 3,188 US adults that completed the National Cancer Institute's Food Attitudes and Behaviors (FAB) Survey in 2007 was analyzed. Participants that indicated they purchased produce from FTC outlets at least twice a month each season were considered frequent FTC users. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine associations between motivation variables and the probability of being a frequent FTC outlet user.

Results: There were 1,326 participants identified as frequent FTC users (44.1%). After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, moderate physical activity and fruit & vegetable consumption, motivation variables such as “I have a strong value for healthy eating” and “Consistent with my life goals” were positively associated with frequent FTC use (p = 0.001 for both). Motivation variables such as “I want to improve my physical health” were not associated with frequent FTC use (p = 0.14).

Conclusions: The desire to improve physical health might not be a motivation to utilize FTC outlets. More information should be collected on attitudes and FTC usage among persons most at risk for obesity such minorities and low-income individuals.