Outcomes are reported from 99 door-to-door interviews conducted in 2007 in a high deprivation neighbourhood in Auckland investigating fruit consumption. On average, participants reported eating a serving of fresh fruit five to six times per week. At the time of the interview, 38% of respondents did not have any fresh fruit in the house and 60% reported that in the past month they had thrown out fruit between one to four times per week because it was considered to be past its best in terms of eating quality. Fruit juice was consumed on average one to two times per week. Self-efficacy for fruit consumption was positively associated with consumption. Relative to participants with lower levels of self-efficacy for fruit consumption, those with higher levels of self-efficacy were more likely to achieve the target of consuming ≥2 daily fruit servings. The study authors suggest that “strategies that aim to increase self-efficacy beliefs for fruit consumption may contribute to improving compliance with the recommended two or more servings daily”.
