Barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable intakes in the older population of Northern Ireland: low levels of liking and low awareness of current recommendations.

Objective: To investigate barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable (f + v) intakes in a large sample of the older population of Northern Ireland (NI), in relation to current intakes.

Design: The study was conducted using a telephone survey assessing f + v intakes, barriers to increasing intakes and various demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Barriers to increasing intakes were investigated using twenty-two closed-response items and one open-response item.

Setting: NI.

Subjects: Four hundred and twenty-six older people from NI, representative of the older population of NI.

Results: Principal component analysis of the twenty-two closed-response items revealed five factors affecting f + v consumption. Significant associations with current intakes were found where greater f + v consumption was associated with greater 'liking' for f + v (B = 0.675, P < 0.01), greater 'awareness of current recommendations' for consumption (B = 0.197, P < 0.01) and greater 'willingness to change' (B = 0.281, P < 0.01). 'Ease of consumption' and 'difficulties in achieving consumption' were not associated with f + v intakes. Similar associations between f + v intakes and 'liking' and 'awareness' were also found in those consuming low intakes of f + v or those at risk of consuming low intakes. Low awareness and knowledge of recommendations were also found in response to the open-ended question in all groups, although some weight was also given here to environmental difficulties, such as cost and access.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that interventions aiming to increase f + v intakes in the older population of NI should focus predominantly on improving liking and improving knowledge and awareness of current recommendations.