Associations Between Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable consumption in Female Adolescents in New Zealand

Abstract

Background: Inadequate physical activity and low fruit and vegetable consumption are arguably the greatest modifiable risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in adolescents. Physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable consumption have been reported previously in this age group, however, the associations between these two health behaviours together has not been heavily researched. Understanding the relationship between these two crucial risk factors is likely to support the development of future public health messages. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the relationship between physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent females of the SuNDiAL project. Design: Adolescent females aged 15-18 y were recruited from high schools in 8 regions around New Zealand (NZ). Hip-worn Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers and self-report wear-time diaries were used for seven consecutive days to measure moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Fruit and Vegetable consumption was measured using a dietary habits questionnaire. Results: Participants performed an average of 43 minutes/day in MVPA, and more than 75% of females failed to meet physical activity guidelines of ≥60 min of MVPA per day. Fruit and vegetable consumption were generally low, with only 27% of females consuming ≥5 serves per day. Physically active females were 4.7 (95%CI: 1.7 to 13.1, p=0.0024) and 2.7 (95%CI: 1.1 to 6.6, p=0.0302) times more likely to meet fruit and total fruit and vegetable intakes respectively, than inactive females. Conclusion: Physical activity and fruit and vegetable intakes are both insufficient in adolescent females. Girls who were more physically active were also more likely to meet the fruit and vegetable guidelines. It is possible that the facilitators and inhibiting factors associated with meeting both the physical activity and fruit and vegetable guidelines are similar. Further research in this area is clearly needed before targeted public health interventions can be developed or implemented.