Consumption of fruits and vegetables among university students in Denmark

Background: The existent duality between an intake of Fruits and Vegetables (F & V) lower than recommended, calls for effective interventions. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the factors influencing food choices. For instance, and due to an increasing level of migration, a recognition of F & V preferences among a segment of mobile populations is needed. Therefore, we aimed to investigate if there is a difference between Danish vs non-Danish regarding fruit and vegetable habits. Methods: The data was analysed from a cross-sectional observational study with 388 university students. The applied questionnaire with 8 questions focusses on habits regarding intake and preparation of F & V. A Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations between each factor related to F & V consumption and nationality. A model adjusted by age and education stratified by gender was also run to check if the initial findings would remain the same. All analyses were run in SAS 9.4. Results: The respondents were mainly Danish 63.1% and females 58.5%. In the crude model, non-Danish were more likely to eat more fruits compared to Danes. However, models adjusted showed that this difference was related to Danish female students compared to non-Danish ones. Non-Danish females also eat more fruits in compotes. In regards to vegetables, both Danish males and females prefer to eat them in a soup or a hot meal compared to non-Danish male and female students respectively Danish males eat more vegetables a day than non-Danish ones. No differences were found in other variables studied. Conclusions: Our findings show that female non-Danish students had a healthier intake compared to Danish ones, eating more fruits a day and more fruits in compotes. On the other hand, male Danish students eat more vegetables a day than non-Danish counterparts do. The study provides information about consumers F & V habits, and the groups that should be targeted for interventions to increase the intake of F & V. It reinforces the need to consider different backgrounds of the target population when planning specific interventions.