Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables: The household influence, Belo Horizonte-Minas Gerais, 2002-2003

Background: There are evidences about the fruit and vegetable(FV) intake and chronic disease. The aim was to study the relationship between familiar characteristics and intake of FV. Methods: We used data from the domiciliary survey carried by Brazilian National Cancer Institute (2002-2003).  We study all subjects were participants of  Belo Horizonte city. Daily consumption of FV was defined according to frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) add number of times of this consumption. The following variables were considered like “familiar context”: socio-demographic (income, family’s head age and school); behaviors (percentage of familiars who were sedentary, tobacco users and e alcohol users) and morbidity (any relatives with cancer). We used multivariate analysis-answer tree with the CHAID algorithm. Results: Among the 2492 interviewed, 54.4% were women, 35±16.7 years. Only 7.3% (n=156) had healthful intake of FV (³5 items/dia) and on average this were 2.67±1.57 itens/day. This average decrease with the lower income (high familiar income: 3.00±1.49; intermediary income: 2.64±1.59; low income: 2.31±1.53). Socio-demographic and behaviors variables were important according to familiar income. The lowest study time, into high income’s families, were associated to the lower average intake (2.55±1.52 vs 3.07±1.47). Had one sedentary relative, into intermediary income’s families, had same association (2.44±1.42 vs 2.81±1.69). The lower avarege to the daily FV intake were in low income’s families, with 50.0% tobacco users, anyone sedentary and young-adult family’s head (≤46 years) (1.54±0.86 vs 2.18±0.90). Alcohol consumption and morbidity on the family weren’t explained the variation at the FV intake. Conclusions: A minority of residents in Belo Horizonte had healthful intake of FV and the average is so far to the ideal. The familiar context characterized for more socio-demographic vulnerability, lower school time, sedentary and tobacco users, can be to influence at the profile of the individual consumptions.  We need specific studies to understand how familiar factors will be able subsidies for appropriate intervention’s models to each reality.