INVESTIGATING THE PREDICTORS OF INTENTION TO CONSUME FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BASED ON THE STRUCTURES OF THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

Consumption of appropriate amounts of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet is one of the most important strategies to prevent disease and improve health, especially in adolescence.The purpose of this study was using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain intent to consume fruits and vegetables among secondary school students.

This descriptive-analytical (cross-sectional) study was conducted on 416 secondary school students selected using multi-stage cluster sampling in the city of Khoy in 2019. Data collection instrument was a three-part questionnaire including students' characteristics; students' beliefs toward fruits and vegetables based on the TPB with; and the amount of daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regression in the SPSS (version 22.0).

The results of this study showed that the consumption of fruits and vegetables among students was unfavorable for health and the consumption of fruits was 0.41 units and vegetables 0.77 units in total 1.18 units per day. In addition, the findings indicated that students' attitude and perceived behavioral control (P<0.001) had a statistically significant association with intent to consumption of fruits and vegetables, and those constructs explained 23% of variance of students' intention.

Among the variables related to the TPB, attitude and perceived behavioral control were effective factors on students' intention toward consumption of fruits and vegetables. Hence, by using the present findings, health care providers can plan, implement and evaluate suitable interventions to reduce the consumption of fruits and vegetables in students.