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Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States

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  • Bailey Houghtaling

    (Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68514, USA
    School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Louisiana State University (LSU) & LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
    Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA)

  • Matthew Greene

    (School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Louisiana State University (LSU) & LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA)

  • Kaustubh V. Parab

    (Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA)

  • Chelsea R. Singleton

    (Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

Abstract

In recent years, national and local efforts to improve diet and health in the United States have stressed the importance of nutrition security, which emphasizes consistent access to foods and beverages that promote health and prevent disease among all individuals. At the core of this endeavor is fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, a dietary practice that is integral to attaining and sustaining a healthy diet. Unfortunately, significant inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption exist, particularly among populations that are socially and economically disadvantaged. To achieve nutrition and health equity in the United States, the field must center the goal of nutrition security and initiatives that aim to increase FV consumption, specifically, in future work. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) Special Issue titled “ Nutrition and Health Equity: Revisiting the Importance of Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Purchasing, and Consumption ” features several scholarly publications from experts conducting timely research on these topics. In this commentary, we ( 1 ) summarize the U.S.-based literature on inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption, ( 2 ) describe how the contributions to this IJERPH special issue can advance nutrition security and health equity, and ( 3 ) outline future research questions from our perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Bailey Houghtaling & Matthew Greene & Kaustubh V. Parab & Chelsea R. Singleton, 2022. "Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11220-:d:908707
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nadine Budd Nugent & Carmen Byker Shanks & Hilary K. Seligman & Hollyanne Fricke & Courtney A. Parks & Sarah Stotz & Amy L. Yaroch, 2021. "Accelerating Evaluation of Financial Incentives for Fruits and Vegetables: A Case for Shared Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Lauren Vargo & Timothy H. Ciesielski & Milen Embaye & Ana Bird & Darcy A. Freedman, 2022. "Understanding SNAP Recipient Characteristics to Guide Equitable Expansion of Nutrition Incentive Programs in Diverse Food Retail Settings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-13, April.
    3. Bauer, Greta R., 2014. "Incorporating intersectionality theory into population health research methodology: Challenges and the potential to advance health equity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 10-17.
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    5. Thiago Veiga Jardim & Dariush Mozaffarian & Shafika Abrahams-Gessel & Stephen Sy & Yujin Lee & Junxiu Liu & Yue Huang & Colin Rehm & Parke Wilde & Renata Micha & Thomas A Gaziano, 2019. "Cardiometabolic disease costs associated with suboptimal diet in the United States: A cost analysis based on a microsimulation model," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-15, December.
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    8. Jason P Block & S V Subramanian, 2015. "Moving Beyond “Food Deserts”: Reorienting United States Policies to Reduce Disparities in Diet Quality," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-9, December.
    9. Chelsea R. Singleton & Megan Winkler & Bailey Houghtaling & Oluwafikayo S. Adeyemi & Alexandra M. Roehll & JJ Pionke & Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, 2020. "Understanding the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Geographic Location: A Scoping Review of U.S. Consumer Food Purchasing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-26, October.
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    11. Brea L. Perry & Brian Aronson & Bernice A. Pescosolido, 2021. "Pandemic precarity: COVID-19 is exposing and exacerbating inequalities in the American heartland," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(8), pages 2020685118-, February.
    12. Sabrina K. Young & Hayden Stewart, 2022. "U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Affordability on the Thrifty Food Plan Depends on Purchasing Power and Safety Net Supports," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-12, February.
    13. Tina J. Kauh & Jen’nan Ghazal Read & A. J. Scheitler, 2021. "The Critical Role of Racial/Ethnic Data Disaggregation for Health Equity," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(1), pages 1-7, February.
    14. Shervin Assari & Maryam Moghani Lankarani, 2018. "Educational Attainment Promotes Fruit and Vegetable Intake for Whites but Not Blacks," J, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-13, June.
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