JScholar Publishers Psychosocial Factors Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Saudi University Students

Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the daily fruits and vegetable consumption and to identify the psychosocial factors as knowledge, barriers and self efficacy associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. Design: A cross-sectional study utilizing a street-based survey method. Setting: The study was carried out at King Faisal University in AL-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: Female students aged between 18-25 years (N=960). Outcome measures: Daily fruit and vegetable consumption, anthropometric measurements, psychosocial fac-tors (knowledge, barriers, and self efficacy). Results: Twenty-two percent of the students reported eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetable a day. The total mean of knowledge and the total mean of self efficacy were significant differences between the groups (P = 0.000, P = 0.045; respectively). In a Linear Regression analysis, a greater level of self efficacy of daily fruit and vegetable consumption (β =0.303, SE=0.023, P = 0.000) was significantly predicted for recommended daily of fruit and vegetable consumption, whereas barriers of recommended daily consumption (β=0.055, SE=0.019, P=0.101) and knowledge of recommended daily consumption (β =0.028, SE=0.028, P=0.378) were not predicted to the recommended daily consumption of fruit and vegetable