Duval County Middle School Students’ Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Childhood obesity (CO) has become a major health concern in recent decades and increases the risk of chronic diseases in later life. A dietary approach to reduce childhood obesity is to increase fruit and vegetable intake. Fruit and vegetable intake is low in the United States, particularly in adolescents, and socioeconomic status can correlate with low consumption. This study analyzes, by health zone, the 2009, 2011, and 2013 fruit and vegetable intakes from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted in Duval County middle school students. The results showed that health zone 1, with the lowest socioeconomic status, had the lowest intake of fruit and vegetables. The mean intake in health zone 1 was 2.66 in 2009, which was the lowest among all health zones. This corresponds to a consumption of 1–2 fruits or vegetables the previous day. The overall intake for all health zones was 2.87, which was also lower than recommended amounts (P < 0.001). The practical implications of these results warrant examination by health and education professionals and parents or caregivers on how to support students to become more aware of ways to incorporate a variety of healthy food choices and appropriate weight-management options. Given that students spend a minimum of 6 h in schools during a school day, the influence of the adults around them is strong, regardless of the community and the habits noted in that setting or the home. Therefore, educators and school personnel can take advantage of this time to promote health and wellness initiatives that students would find difficult to ignore.