| Abstract [eng] |
Background. Fruits and vegetables are the basis of a healthy diet and are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other biologically active substances. Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables can help prevent the most common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer. It is recommended to consume fruit and vegetables at least 5 times a day and to consume at least 400 grams of various fruits and vegetables per person per day, in addition to potatoes. The aim of the research - to evaluate the consumption habits of fruits and vegetables of the adult population of Lithuania and to compare their trends over the last 25 years. Tasks. 1) To evaluate the consumption habits of fruits and vegetables of the adult population of Lithuania (19–64 years). 2) To evaluate the changing trends of fruit and vegetable consumption habits of the adult population of Lithuania (19–64 years) during the last 25 years. 3) To compare the consumption habits of fruits and vegetables of the surveyed Lithuanian population (19–64 years) with the results of the research conducted in the last 25 years and to evaluate the changing trends of consumption. Methods. The survey was conducted by means of an anonymous questionnaire on the Internet, and the questionnaire consisted of 21 questions. A total of 421 respondents were interviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0 statistical data package. The Pearson chi square (χ2) was used for the analysis of categorical data, choosing the criterion of statistical significance α = 0.05. The difference between the groups was considered statistically significant at p≤ 0.05. Results. The vast majority of respondents (66.9%) eat 1-2 servings of fruit daily, 73.1%. consume 1-2 servings of vegetables daily. More women, 19-34 age, higher education and people living in the city eat 1-2 servings of fruit every day. More than half (52.7%) of the respondents consume 1–3 different types of vegetables per week, 67.2%. respondents consume 1 to 3 different types of fruit per week. Almost every day, 19.7% of respondents consume fresh vegetables and 20.4% of fresh fruit. Women consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. Almost half (49.6%) of the respondents do not consume processed fruit at any time during the week, and 45.6% do not consume processed vegetables. consumed 1-2 times a week. The majority (57.9%) of the respondents consume fermented vegetables 1-2 times a week. People aged 50-64 eat fermented vegetables more than once a week. Exactly half (50.0%) of persons do not eat frozen vegetables at any time of the week, and 76.2% do not eat frozen fruit at any time of the week. The most popular vegetables that the vast majority eat 3-5 times a week are onions; leeks; garlic (38.2%) and tomatoes (42.3%). The most popular fruits most consumed 3-5 times a week are apples (25.7%), bananas (24.9%) and citrus fruits (23.8%). Conclusions. It was found that the consumption habits of fruits and vegetables of the adult population of Lithuania still do not comply with the recommendations - almost daily 19.7% consume fresh vegetables and 20.4% of fresh fruits; women consume statistically significantly more fruit and vegetables. Research conducted in Lithuania over the past 25 years shows that the consumption habits of the adult population of Lithuania have changed in a health-friendly direction, but a large part of the population still eats too little vegetables and fruits. Comparing the fruit and vegetable consumption habits of the surveyed adult population of Lithuania with the results of 25 years of research, the number of persons consuming vegetables and fruits on a daily basis is increasing: since 1996 until 2014 consumption of vegetables and fruit has been growing rapidly, but the trend has slowed in recent years; it should be noted that the trend over the last decades has been for women to consume more vegetables and fruits. |
