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This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2005.080655v1 97/2/367    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ard, J. D. Articles by Baskin, M. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ard, J. D. Articles by Baskin, M. L. Related Collections Obesity, Overweight, Underweight Nutrition/Food African Americans/Blacks Socioeconomic Factors

Jamy D. Ard, MD, Stephanie Fitzpatrick, BS, Renee A. Desmond, DVM, PhD, Bryce S. Sutton, PhD, Maria Pisu, PhD, David B. Allison, PhD, Frank Franklin, MD, PhD and Monica L. Baskin, PhD

Jamy D. Ard is with the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama, Birmingham. At the time of writing, Stephanie Fitzpatrick and Monica L. Baskin were with the Department of Health Behaviors, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Renee A. Desmond is with the Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Bryce S. Sutton is with the Department of Finance, Economics, and Quantitative Methods, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Maria Pisu is with the Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham. David B. Allison is with the Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Frank Franklin is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Jamy D. Ard, 1675 University Blvd, Webb 441, Birmingham, AL 35294 (e-mail: ardj{at}uab.edu).

Objectives. Fruit and vegetable cost is a presumed barrier to intake. We sought to determine whether fruit and vegetable cost and consumers’ race and income would predict availability of fruits and vegetables in homes of schoolchildren in the Birmingham, Ala, area.

Methods. Data on availability of 27 fruit and vegetable items were obtained from homes of 1355 children (32% African American) in the Birmingham area. Fruit and vegetable costs were obtained from the US Department of Agriculture. We used discrete choice analysis with the dependent variable represented as presence or absence of the fruit or vegetable item. Explanatory variables included fruit and vegetable price per serving; child’s gender, race, and age; and parent’s body mass index and income.

Results. Higher cost was inversely related to fruit and vegetable availability. Higher income, African American race, and female gender were positively related to availability. Cost per serving was stratified into 3 categories—low, medium, and high. Relative to low-cost items, only high-cost items decreased the odds of availability significantly.

Conclusions. Fruit and vegetable cost does impact availability and has the greatest impact for high-cost items. Although cost was inversely related to availability, African Americans reported higher fruit and vegetable availability than Whites. Additional studies are needed to determine whether food items of lower nutritive value and comparable cost impact availability.