Even
though they live closer to where the fruits and vegetables are grown, rural
folks aren’t eating as much produce as people who live in the city. That’s one
surprising finding from new research conducted by the Essentia Institute of
Rural Health (EIRH).
The
where rural residents eat more produce than urban residents. The reason often
comes down to cost, explains Nawal Lutfiyya, a senior research scientist and
chronic disease epidemiologist at the EIRH. As the study’s lead author, she
compared consumption of fruits and vegetables among groups of adult Americans
using data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“You
could be a rural person living next to a huge farm that produces fruits and
vegetables and not have the means to buy them, so people in the city, who are
farther removed from the source, tend to be the more likely consumers,”
Lutfiyya says. “That really brings up issues of access and cost.”
The
study also produced a worrisome finding when it comes to parents acting as good
role models for their children’s eating habits.
“One
thing my co-authors and I are concerned about is that rural adults living in
households with children are less likely to consume fruits and vegetables than
adults without kids,” Lutfiyya says. “Adequate fruit and vegetable consumption
reduces the risk for a number of diseases and early death. Our hope is that
identifying groups that are at risk can lead to better targeted public health
interventions.”
Researchers
also learned that women are more likely to eat the recommended amount of fruits
and vegetables than men, and married folks consume more than singles. Fruit and
veggie eaters are generally better educated and more economically stable than
those who skip the produce aisle.
One
finding that didn’t surprise researchers: People getting at least moderate
physical activity were also more likely to eat five or more servings of fruits
and vegetables a day, as were people with a lower body mass index.
Lutfiyya
says she hopes this research will provide valuable insight to rural doctors.
“If primary care providers know this could be an issue in the rural adult
population, they can encourage their patients to consume more fruits and
vegetables,” she says.
This
study ties into the mission of the Essentia Institute of Rural Health, based in
Duluth, Minnesota.
The EIRH aims to improve the health of rural areas through comprehensive
research and education. The Institute is part of Essentia Health, a large,
non-profit health system serving primarily rural residents in Minnesota,
North Dakota, Wisconsin
and Idaho.
