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.