Nutrition

Indicator Definition
Percent of adults (ages 18–64 years) who consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day in past seven days.

Adults who consumed five or more fruits and vegetables per day during past week in Colorado5

Adults who consumed five or more fruits or vegetables in past seven days by sex in Colorado6

Indicator Significance 
Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables each day is linked to a decreased risk of some cancers, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. As adolescents reach adulthood, metabolic rates begin to plateau and the body requires new sources and amounts of energy to maintain optimum health. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and fiber that are essential for good health. Rather than consuming these vitamins and minerals through supplements, physicians and dieticians agree that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables results in better absorption of the needed nutrients to optimize health. Although energy consumption levels vary based on physical activity, it is most common that food intake needs decrease as people age.¹

Colorado Specifics
Despite Colorado’s reputation for healthy lifestyles, only one quarter of Colorado adults consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Few states do much better and some are markedly worse. The Healthy People 2010 target for fruit and vegetable consumption is for 75 percent of the population to eat five or more fruits and vegetables daily. Adult fruit and vegetable consumption is not much better than that for high school students, a group known for less healthy eating behaviors. Despite growing awareness of the importance of a healthy diet, there has been no improvement in adult fruit and vegetable consumption in recent years. The latest data show that women are somewhat more likely than men to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

Promising Initiatives
In Colorado
LiveWell Colorado is a collaborative effort by The Colorado Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The initiative is designed to reduce overweight and obesity rates and related chronic diseases by engaging with communities to promote healthy eating and active living and programs targeted at environmental changes.²

The Adult Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) reaches low-income adults through classes that provide information about smart food buying techniques and good nutrition. The FSNEP is offered in 20 counties through the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. On average, participants attend six to seven informational sessions through the program. Alternative Strategies for Nutrition Education is a sister program to FSNEP that uses a bilingual model to reach Spanish-speaking populations in Colorado.³

Elsewhere
Eating Well, Living Well is an initiative that provides nutritional education to English as a Second Language (ESL) students in California. In 2002, research conducted by the California Nutrition for Healthy Active Families program found that the longer Hispanic families are in the United States, the more likely they are to consume unhealthy foods. ESL textbooks were found to feature food such as hamburgers, pizza and ice cream. The high fat, sugar and salt content of these foods make them unhealthy choices, yet displaying them in textbooks conveys an alternative message to ESL students. The Eating Well, Living Well initiative incorporates good nutritional practices into the curriculum and its accompanying materials.⁴

Adults who consumed five or more fruits or vegetables in past seven days⁷

Text

1. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition State Plan 2010”; December 2004.
   
2. LiveWell Colorado.
   
3. Colorado Nutrition Education Plan, Colorado State University.
   
4. Eating Well, Living Well: Nutrition Education for Adult ESL Programs. “Why Nutrition Education in Adult ESL?”; 2006.
   

Charts

5. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000–2007.
   
   Data are not available for 2004 and 2006 because the question used for this indicator was not included in the survey those years.
   
   
6. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
   
7. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.