Understanding the Evidence Gaps: Diets and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Across Five Diverse Low- and Middle-Income...

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Global Health
• Dietary Interventions

Background:

• Poor dietary quality, marked by insufficient fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, is a critical global public health issue.
• Existing evidence on F&V intake and intervention effectiveness in Benin, Fiji, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania is limited and heterogeneous.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize findings on F&V intake and interventions across five countries.
• To identify research priorities for improving F&V consumption and public health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Scoping reviews were conducted to examine diet and F&V intake data.
• Analysis focused on population groups in Benin, Fiji, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
• Literature review assessed existing food-based dietary guidelines and intervention research.

Main Results:

• All five countries show inadequate F&V intake, with adults consuming below WHO recommendations (400g/day).
• Limited scientific evidence exists due to varied assessment methods, sparse population coverage, and few rigorous intervention evaluations.
• Food-based dietary guidelines exist but their implementation and effectiveness research is scarce.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing dietary assessment methods is crucial for future research and evaluations.
• Understanding context-specific drivers of F&V intake is essential for targeted interventions.
• Strengthening intervention research in low-resource settings is a priority to improve F&V consumption globally.