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.
Materials & Methods: 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).
Results: 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.
Conclusion: Among the variables related to the TPB, attitude and perceived behavioral control wer e
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.