Fruit Intake Among Active Duty Air Force Male Enlistees at the Worksite: The Development of an Instrument to Measure Factors Associated with Consumption or Avoidance

摘要

Over the past several decades, researchers have reached a consensus on the relationship between diet and chronic diseases (National Research Council, 1989; US Department of Health and Human Services, 1988, 1990). An area of particular interest and investigation within the past several years is the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and disease. Increasing evidence suggests a strong link between levels of fruit and vegetable intake and health status (National Research Council, 1989). Specifically, fruit and vegetable consumption is cited as a protective element against some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke (Steinmetz & Potter, 1996; Gillman et al., 1995).