The relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and BMI among San Francisco State University students

Clinical evidence suggests that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is an effective strategy for balanced body weight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an association between fruit and vegetable consumption and BMI exists in San Francisco State University students. A cross-sectional analysis of 109 participants was conducted measuring fruit and vegetable consumption with a pre-tested questionnaire. The daily mean intake of fruit group and vegetable group was 4 and 3.6 cups respectively. The selfreported intake of fruits and vegetables and self-reported height and weight revealed low prevalence (19.25%, n-21) of obesity and overweight and shows that fresh/healthy students’ eating is close to national standards. There was no relationship between intake of the majority of fruit and vegetable groups and BMI; however, corn and potato consumption showed a weak positive relationship with BMI (n=109, r=0.299, p=0.002). Non-parametric correlation (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney) analysis showed no significant relationship between fruit and vegetable intake as combined group and gender (female and male).