Motivators and Facilitators of Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Tongan Adults

Changes to food systems and food environments across the Pacific Islands region have influenced dietary behaviors. While dietary intake is limited, it is believed that fruit and vegetable consumption is low within these populations. Given the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, this exploratory study aimed to identify the motivators and facilitators of fruit and vegetable intake in a subset of Tongan adults.

Semi-structured, 30 min interviews were conducted in Tongan with 12 participants (5 fieldworkers and 3 female community members who were interviewed separately and 4 women who took part in a small group interview). The responses were translated into English and were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Most participants thought that low fruit and vegetable consumption was of concern in Tongan communities. All participants agreed that diverse fruit and vegetable consumption is a priority for Tongan people and that communities are motivated to consume more fruits and vegetables. A total of 12 themes were derived from the results: 6 motivational and 6 facilitating, including determinants such as dietary patterns (taste and culture), community engagement/working in groups, and financial factors.

While using a small sample size from Tongatapu, this provides a valuable insight from the Tongan communities' perspectives on motivators and facilitators of fruit and vegetable consumption. The results offer policymakers, government, and NGOs contextually relevant and up-to-date data that can be used when developing health and nutrition programs.