Evaluation of the Feasibility and Construct Validity of a Novel Method to Measure Household Fruit and Vegetable Procurement in Low-Income Community Settings - 20/01/26
, Kristen S. Gorman, PhD 1, Julia Steiner, MPH 1, Julian Wolfson, PhD 2, Jiayi Hu, MS 2, Melissa N. Laska, PhD, RD 3, Jayne A. Fulkerson, PhD 1, Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD 4Abstract |
Background |
Many interventions focus on improving fruit and vegetable (F/V) procurement for those experiencing low incomes or food insecurity. To address current F/V procurement measurement limitations, a novel F/V procurement tool was developed.
Objective |
The main objectives are to describe the tool and evaluate the tool’s feasibility and construct validity.
Design |
This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the ongoing Mobile Food Market Cluster Randomized Trial, conducted in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota.
Participants/setting |
During 2023, participants (mean age = 64 years) residing in subsidized housing completed surveys and three 24-hour dietary recalls, and they recorded 4 weeks of F/V procurement using a novel tool submitted weekly by mail. The tool captured F/V items and amounts procured for the home from any type of procurement location, including food pantries. For inclusion in analysis, Wave 1 and 2 trial participants (N = 161) must have completed at least 3 of 4 F/V procurement booklets; 87% (n = 140) met this threshold.
Main outcome measures |
Main outcomes were Healthy Eating Index-2020 score, Healthy Eating Index-2020 Total Fruit and Total Vegetable component scores, and daily F/V servings consumed.
Statistical analyses performed |
Descriptive statistics assessed feasibility data (eg, booklet completion rates) and F/V servings by location/source data. The F/V procurement tool’s construct validity was assessed with adjusted linear models testing associations between average weekly servings procured of F/V combined, fruit only, and vegetables only, and dietary and survey measures.
Results |
On average, 58% of weekly F/V servings procured were from a supermarket and 19% from a food pantry. In adjusted models, each 10-serving increase in F/V procurement was significantly associated with a higher Healthy Eating Index-2020 score by 1.8 points (95% CI, 0.6 to 2.9), Healthy Eating Index-2020 Total Fruit component score by 0.2 points (95% CI, 0.1 to 0.4), and daily F/V intake by 0.2 servings (95% CI, 0.1 to 0.3). No other measures were significantly associated with F/V servings procured.
Conclusions |
This novel F/V procurement tool may be a feasible method for comprehensively measuring various ways F/V enter households. Construct validity was observed for most diet quality and dietary intake measures examined.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Food purchasing, Fruit and vegetable procurement, Measure development, Construct validity testing, Populations experiencing low incomes
Plan
| Supplementary materials: Figure 1 is available at www.jandonline.org |
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| STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. |
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| FUNDING/SUPPORT Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award No. R01NR020539 (PI: M. Horning). This study used REDCap to for data collection that was supported by Clinical and Translational Science Institute grant (UL1TR002494) from the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translations Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. |
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| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors acknowledge study staff, Blaine Damte, Morgan McNamara, Sebrum Herron, and Emiliano Chavez-Dreier for their assistance with recruitment, data collection, and data entry. The authors also thank the Twin Cities Mobile Market and building site staff as well as all our participants who make this work possible. |
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| AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS M. L. Horning was principal investigator of the study, secured grant funding, provided oversight of F/V procurement tool and protocol development, and drafted and revised the manuscript. K. Gorman was project manager for the study, assisted with development of the tool, protocols, and data entry rules; piloted the tool with current Mobile Market customers; and reviewed and revised the manuscript. J. Steiner was a member of the research study staff, assisted with development of protocols and data entry rules, was data entry lead and provided quality assurance on all forms, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. M. Laska was coinvestigator on the study, assisted with securing grant funding, supported development and refinement of the tool, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. J. Wolfson was coinvestigator on the study, assisted with securing grant funding, supported development and refinement of the tool, conducted statistical analyses, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. J. Hu was a graduate research assistant on the study, assisted with revising text, data quality checks, responding to reviewers, analyses, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. J. Fulkerson was coinvestigator on the study, assisted with securing grant funding, supported development and refinement of the tool, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. L. Harnack was coinvestigator on the study, assisted with securing grant funding, supported development of the tool, wrote protocols and data entry rules, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. |
Vol 126 - N° 2
Article 156220- février 2026 Retour au numéro
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