This study aimed to evaluate the association between vegetable intake and major depressive disorder (MDD) through cross-sectional analysis and bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR).

Cross-sectional analysis was conducted on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2018 and the corresponding Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED). Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data were obtained from UK Biobank and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) dataset. Logistic regression analysis was performed after calculating the weights of the samples. Inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger and weighted median methods were used to evaluate the causal effects.

A Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 10 was considered to indicate MDD. Low vegetable intake was defined as < 2 cups of vegetables per day.

30 861 U.S. adults from NHANES. The GWAS data sample size related to vegetable intake were comprised 448 651 and 435 435 cases respectively, while the GWAS data sample size associated with MDD encompassed 500 199 cases.

There were 23 249 (75·33 %) participants with low vegetable intake. The relationship between vegetable intake and MDD was nonlinear. In the multivariate model adjusted for sex, age, education, marital status, poverty income ratio, ethnicity and BMI, participants with low vegetable intake were associated with an increased risk of MDD (OR = 1·53, 95 % CI (1·32, 1·77), P < 0·001). Bidirectional MR showed no causal effects between vegetable intake and MDD.

Cross-sectional analysis identified a significant relationship between vegetable intake and MDD, whereas the results from bidirectional two-sample MR did not support a causal role.

This study aimed to objectively evaluate the diet consumed in a workplace cafeteria to group Japanese workers according to vegetables and salt intake and estimate the association of these groups with changes in cardiometabolic measurements.

This longitudinal observational study estimated the food and nutrient intake of Japanese workers from data recorded in the cafeteria system of their workplace. The primary outcomes included cardiometabolic measures obtained via regular health check-ups conducted at the workplace. The participants were divided into four groups according to high or low vegetables and salt intake based on their respective medians, and the association of each group with cardiometabolic measurement changes was estimated using robust regression with MM-estimation.

A Japanese automobile manufacturing factory.

The study included 1140 men and women workers with available cafeteria and health check-up data.

An inverse marginal association was observed between changes in TAG levels (mmol/L) and high vegetables and low salt intake (β: –0·11, 95 % CI: –0·23, 0·01, P: 0·065) with reference to low vegetables and high salt intake. This association was stronger in participants who used the cafeteria more frequently (>=71 d; β: –0·15, 95 % CI: –0·29, –0·02, P: 0·027).

The participants in the higher vegetables and lower salt intake group were more likely to exhibit decreased TAG levels. These findings encourage using workplace cafeteria meals to promote the health of workers.

To determine the reach, adoption, implementation and effectiveness of an intervention to increase children’s vegetable intake in long day care (LDC).

A 12-week pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial, informed by the multiphase optimisation strategy (MOST), targeting the mealtime environment and curriculum. Children’s vegetable intake and variety was measured at follow-up using a modified Short Food Survey for early childhood education and care and analysed using a two-part mixed model for non-vegetable and vegetable consumers. Outcome measures were based on the RE-AIM framework.

Australian LDC centres.

Thirty-nine centres, 120 educators and 719 children at follow-up.

There was no difference between intervention and waitlist control groups in the likelihood of consuming any vegetables when compared with non-vegetable consumers for intake (OR = 0·70, (95 % CI 0·34–1·43), P = 0·32) or variety (OR = 0·73 (95 % CI 0·40–1·32), P = 0·29). Among vegetable consumers (n 652), there was no difference between groups in vegetable variety (exp(b): 1·07 (95 % CI:0·88–1·32, P = 0·49) or vegetable intake (exp(b): 1·06 (95 % CI: 0·78, 1·43)), P = 0·71) with an average of 1·51 (95 % CI 1·20–1·82) and 1·40 (95 % CI 1·08–1·72) serves of vegetables per day in the intervention and control group, respectively. Intervention educators reported higher skills for promoting vegetables at mealtimes, and knowledge and skills for teaching the curriculum, than control (all P < 0·001). Intervention fidelity was moderate (n 16/20 and n 15/16 centres used the Mealtime environment and Curriculum, respectively) with good acceptability among educators. The intervention reached 307/8556 centres nationally and was adopted by 22 % eligible centres.

The pragmatic self-delivered online intervention positively impacted educator’s knowledge and skills and was considered acceptable and feasible. Intervention adaptations, using the MOST cyclic approach, could improve intervention impact on children’ vegetable intake.

To inform a package of initiatives to increase children’s vegetable intake while in long day care (LDC) by evaluating the independent and combined effects of three initiatives targeting food provision, the mealtime environment and the curriculum.

Using the Multiphase Optimisation Strategy (MOST) framework, a 12-week, eight-condition (n 7 intervention, n 1 control) randomised factorial experiment was conducted. Children’s dietary intake data were measured pre- and post-initiative implementation using the weighed plate waste method (1× meal and 2× between-meal snacks). Vegetable intake (g/d) was calculated from vegetable provision and waste. The optimal combination of initiatives was determined using a linear mixed-effects model comparing between-group vegetable intake at follow-up, while considering initiative fidelity and acceptability.

LDC centres in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia.

32 centres, 276 staff and 1039 children aged 2–5 years.

There were no statistically significant differences between any of the intervention groups and the control group for vegetable intake (all P > 0·05). The curriculum with mealtime environment group consumed 26·7 g more vegetables/child/day than control (ratio of geometric mean 3·29 (95 % CI 0·96, 11·27), P = 0·06). Completion rates for the curriculum (> 93 %) and mealtime environment (61 %) initiatives were high, and acceptability was good (4/5 would recommend), compared with the food provision initiative (0–50 % completed the menu assessment, 3/5 would recommend).

A programme targeting the curriculum and mealtime environment in LDC may be useful to increase children’s vegetable intake. Determining the effectiveness of this optimised package in a randomised controlled trial is required, as per the evaluation phase of the MOST framework.

To investigate the determinants of vegetable intake in urban socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents to inform the development of an intervention programme.

A narrative systematic review was carried out by searching five electronic databases from 2013 to 2020. The descriptors used for the search strategy were vegetable intake, adolescents, determinants and correlates. Inclusion criteria were including a sample of socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents aged 12–18 years, evaluation of the association between vegetable intake and determinants of intake, and conducted in urban settings of high-income countries. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Identified determinants of vegetable intake were reported according to the five levels of the socio-ecological model of health.

Studies included in the review were conducted in four countries: USA (n 8), Australia (n 3), Ireland (n 1) and New Zealand (n 1).

Adolescents aged 12–18 years from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds living in urban settings.

Thirty-nine determinants were identified. Nutrition knowledge was the only determinant consistently investigated in several independent samples which was not associated with vegetable intake in socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents. For the remaining potential determinants, it was not possible to examine the consistency of evidence as there were not enough studies investigating the same determinants. Most of the studies followed a cross-sectional design and were carried out in school settings.

There is a need for further studies on the determinants of vegetable intake in this population preferably with longitudinal designs and beyond the school setting in different countries to guide the development of successful interventions.

To examine cross-sectional associations of four aspects of the consumer food environment – price, availability, marketing and product placement – with BMI and fruit and vegetable intake.

This cross-sectional study measured the consumer food environment using grocery store audits and surveys. Outcomes were measured through surveys and physical exams. Multivariable linear regression models were run; models were all adjusted for age, neighbourhood, education, race/ethnicity and financial burden.

Non-proportional quota sample of four socio-economically and racial/ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Chicago, IL.

Women (n 228) aged 18–44 years.

Participants who reported seeing healthy food marketing had a higher vegetable intake (β = 0·24, 95 % CI 0·06, 0·42). There was some suggestive evidence that participants who shopped at stores that were more expensive (β = −0·90, 95 % CI −1·94, 0·14) had lower BMI, but this association was not statistically significant. Multivariable regression models did not indicate any significant association between any measure of the consumer food environment and fruit intake.

Our findings add to the growing interest in the role of the consumer food environment in health behaviours. Further research is needed to better understand the role of price and marketing characteristics on eating behaviours and BMI.

To examine the trend in social inequality in low intake of vegetables among adolescents in Denmark from 2002 to 2014 using occupational social class (OSC) as socio-economic indicator.

Repeated cross-sectional school surveys including four waves of data collection in 2002–2014. The analyses focused on absolute social inequality (difference between high and low OSC in low vegetable intake) as well as relative social inequality (OR for low vegetable intake by OSC).

The nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Denmark.

The study population was 11–15-year olds (n 17 243).

Low intake of vegetables was defined as less than weekly intake measured by food frequency items. OSC was measured by student reports of parents’ occupation. The proportion of participants who reported eating vegetables less than once weekly was 8·9 %, with a notable decrease from 11·9 % in 2002 to 5·9 % in 2014. The OR (95 % CI) for less than weekly vegetable intake was 2·28 (1·98, 2·63) in the middle compared with high OSC and 3·12 (2·67, 3·66) in the low compared with high OSC. The absolute social inequality in low vegetable intake decreased from 2002 to 2014 but the relative social inequality remained unchanged.

The study underscores that it is important to address socio-economic factors in future efforts to promote vegetable intake among adolescents. The statistical analyses of social inequality in vegetable intake demonstrate that it is important to address both absolute and relative social inequality as these two phenomena may develop differently.

The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between mothers’ and children’s vegetable intake and whether children are conscious about their vegetable intake.

Cross-sectional study. Self-administered questionnaires for mothers and children, consisting of items regarding diet history, were distributed to children via homeroom teachers. We created dummy exposure variables for each quartile of mothers’ vegetable intake. Multiple regression analysis was performed with children’s vegetable intake as the outcome variable.

Two public elementary schools in a residential district of Tokyo, Japan.

Study participants were upper-grade children (aged 10–12 years) and their mothers (332 pairs of mothers and children).

The mean vegetable intake in mothers and children was 310 (sd 145) g/d and 276 (sd 105) g/d, respectively. A positive linear relationship was found between mothers’ and children’s vegetable intake even after adjustment for considerable covariates (P<0·001). When stratified by children’s consciousness, the positive linear relationship was more pronounced in children who were conscious of eating all their vegetables (P<0·001 for interaction with children’s consciousness).

Mothers’ vegetable intake was significantly correlated with children’s vegetable intake. However, this correlation was stronger in children who were conscious of eating all their vegetables. Our findings suggest that enhancing mother’s vegetable intake and health consciousness of children are indispensable prerequisites for increasing vegetable intake among children.

The objective of the present study was to explore the influence of participation in community-supported agriculture (CSA) on vegetable exposure, vegetable intake during and after the CSA season, and preference related to locally produced vegetables acquired directly from CSA growers.

Quantitative surveys were administered at three time points in two harvest seasons to four groups of CSA participants: new full-paying, returning full-paying, new subsidized and returning subsidized members. Questionnaires included a vegetable frequency measure and measures of new and changed vegetable preference. Comparisons were made between new and returning CSA members and between those receiving subsidies and full-paying members.

The research was conducted in a rural county in New York, USA.

CSA members who agreed to participate in the study.

Analysis was based on 151 usable questionnaires. CSA participants reported higher intake of eleven different vegetables during the CSA season, with a sustained increase in some winter vegetables. Over half of the respondents reported trying at least one, and up to eleven, new vegetables. Sustained preferences for CSA items were reported.

While those who choose to join a CSA may be more likely to acquire new and expanded vegetable preferences than those who do not, the CSA experience has the potential to enhance vegetable exposure, augment vegetable preference and increase overall vegetable consumption. Dietary patterns encouraged through CSA participation can promote preferences and consumer demand that support local production and seasonal availability. Emphasis on fresh and fresh stored locally produced vegetables is consistent with sustainable community-based food systems.

School garden programmes have become popular action-oriented learning environments in many countries, often driven by converging priorities of environmental sustainability and healthful diets. Many of these programmes have assessed the impact on dietary intake, specifically fruit and vegetable intake, and related dietary behaviours, such as knowledge, preference, motivation, intention and self-efficacy to eat and prepare fruit and vegetables. The objective of the present study was twofold: (i) to review published garden-based programmes conducted in schools targeting dietary intake and/or determinants of dietary behaviour in children; and (ii) to identify similar strategies and components employed by these garden-based programmes.

The review included thirteen studies that have examined the impact of garden-based programmes conducted in school, either during school hours or in after-school settings, on dietary behaviours in children (kindergarten through 8th grade students).

Three of the reviewed studies did not have a comparison or control group and simply evaluated within-group changes after a garden intervention. None of the reviewed studies were randomized, but were assigned based on school’s interest and timing of new school gardens being built. Out of the eleven programmes that examined dietary intake, six found that the programme resulted in increased vegetable intake, whereas four showed no effect. Seven of the eight studies that measured preference found that the programmes resulted in increased preference for vegetables. Gardening programmes also resulted in improved attitudes towards, willingness to taste, identification of and self-efficacy to prepare/cook fruit and vegetables. Similar strategies/components employed by the majority of the programmes included: ‘hands on’ curriculum, incorporation of a cooking component, providing the instructors, parental and stakeholder support, food provision and using the garden as the focal point for media promotion.

Some of the garden programmes resulted in increased vegetable intake, which has positive implications for both environment sustainability and health-related outcomes. Further, the majority resulted in some improvement in behaviour determinants more generally. However, more research is warranted to understand how to achieve long-term improvements in dietary behaviours and how to sustain the garden-based programmes in schools.

The purposes of this paper are to describe the unique aspects of the nutrition transition in South Korea, including trends in food consumption and obesity, patterns of morbidity and mortality; to focus on efforts to maintain the traditional diet in the midst of rapid economic growth and the introduction of Western culture; and to provide insights for other countries.

We analysed secondary dietary intake, anthropometric, morbidity and mortality datafrom published reports and articles.

In South Korea, the level and rate of increase in fat intake have remained very low, whereas vegetable intake has been high and fruit intake has increased greatly. South Kore also has a relatively low prevalence of obesity compared with other Asian countries. The traditional Korean diet is a low-fat and high-vegetable diet. Therefore, the government and nutrition specialists have been initiating numerous efforts to advertise and teach the public that the traditional diet is a healthy diet. They are also working on revival of the traditional dietusing an approach that is acceptable to contemporary Koreans.

The nutrition transition in South Korea is unique. A range of government, nutrition specialists and some private organisation efforts has worked to retain healthful elements of the traditional diet in South Korea. The continued low level of total fat in the overalldiet and the high intake of fruits and vegetables bode well for South Korea.