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Nutrition - Adolescent Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Summary Indicator Report Data View Options

Percentage of Adolescents Who Ate Five or More Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Daily by County, Grades 9-12, New Mexico, 2017

Why Is This Important?

Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other compounds that may help prevent many chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers (1). Fruits and vegetables also help people to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, because they are relatively low in energy density (2). To promote health and prevent chronic diseases, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 2 cups of fruit per day for a standard 2,000 calorie diet, with recommendations based on an individual's age, gender, and activity level (3).

Definition

Percentage of high school students who ate five or more servings of fruits or vegetables per day

Data Sources

  • U.S. data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data
    (https://nccd.cdc.gov/Youthonline)
  • New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, New Mexico Department of Health and Public Education Department.

How the Measure is Calculated

Numerator:Number of high school students who ate a total of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day
Denominator:Number of students who responded to each of the questions about fruits or vegetables

Evidence-based Practices

For persons to make healthy food choices, healthy food options must be available and accessible. Families living in low-income neighborhoods and rural areas of the state often have less access to healthier food and beverage choices than those in more urban, higher-income areas. Here are some things communities may do.(4) - Making healthy food choices available and affordable in public venues - Restricting availability of less healthy options in public venues - Improve Geographic Availability of Supermarkets in Underserved Areas - Provide Incentives to Food Retailers to Locate in and/or Offer Healthier Food and Beverage Choices in Underserved Areas - Improve Availability of Mechanisms for Purchasing Foods from Farms - Provide Incentives for the Production, Distribution, and Procurement of Foods from Local Farms- Institute Smaller Portion Size Options in Public Service Venues - Limit Advertisements of Less Healthy Foods and Beverages - Discourage Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Other Objectives

Similar to HP2020 objectives: NWS-14: Increase the contribution of fruits to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older Increase the contribution of fruits to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older and NWS-15.1: Increase the contribution of total vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older

More Resources

Refrences: 1. World Cancer Research Fund, American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. November 2007. [Online Access] http://www.dietandcancerreport.org 2. CDC. Can eating fruits and vegetables help people to manage their weight? (Research to Practice Series No. 1) [Online Access] http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/rtp_practitioner_10_07.pdf 3. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report 4. Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States, Laura Kettel Khan, PhD. CDC, MMWR July 24, 2009 / 58(RR07);1-26. Accessed online on 12/9/2010 at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm?s_cid=rr5807a1_e.

Indicator Data Last Updated On 01/08/2019, Published on 01/08/2019
Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, Survey Section, Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health and Coordinated School Health & Wellness Bureau, NM Public Education Department. Contact NMDOH, 1190 S. Saint Francis Drive, P.O. Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM, 87502. Telephone: (505) 476-1779.