inadequate-fruit-and-vegetable-intake - Health Quality Ontario (HQO)

INDICATOR NAME

Name

Percentage of the population aged 12 years or older reporting inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (Retired)

Alternate Name

Percentage of the population aged 12 and older who report having inadequate fruit and vegetable intake

INDICATOR DESCRIPTION

Description

This indicator measures the proportion of the population aged 12 or older who report inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (less than 5 times daily). A lower rate is better.

HQO Reporting tool/product

Public reporting

Dimension

Patient-centred

Type

Outcome

DEFINITION AND SOURCE INFORMATION

Unit of Measurement

Percentage

Calculation Methods

Numerator divided by denominator times 100

Numerator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

Total number of respondents categorized as “eats fruits and vegetables less than 5 times per day”.

Denominator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

Total number of respondents aged 12 or older.

Adjustment (risk, age/sex standardization)- generalized

Age and sex standardized, Age standardized

Data Source

Canadian Community Heath Survey (CCHS)

Data provided to HQO by

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

Reported Levels of comparability /stratifications (defined)

Education, Province, Region, Time

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Caveats and Limitations

As this indicator relies on self-reported data, the true rate might in fact be higher or lower. Questions related to fruit and vegetable intake are limited to the number of times (frequency) and not the amount consumed, thus not translating to number of servings per day. In addition, this survey excludes individuals living on Indian Reserves and on Crown Lands, institutional residents, full-time members of the Canadian Forces, and residents of certain remote regions, which will affect the representativeness of the sample and underestimation of the true rates. Altogether, these exclusions represent <3% of the target population.

Comments Summary

Inadequate intake was measured via the FVCGTOT variable in the CCHS. This variable classifies the respondent based on the total number of times per day he/she eats fruits and vegetables. The CCHS measures the number of times (frequency), not the amount consumed. The derived variable is based on questions asked in CCHS that included daily consumption (number of times) of: - Fruit juice - Other fruit - Green salad - Potatoes - Carrots - Other vegetables In addition, sampling weights are used for calculating all estimates. Education stratification analysis is restricted to 25 and older.