Vegetable consumption and diet diversity among households with and without vegetable gardens in Quezon city, Philippines

Abstract

Background Dietary diversity is key in determining the quality of a person’s diet by including the consumption of several food groups. Vegetable gardening is a holistic approach to producing nutritious food and reducing food insecurity. Higher vegetable consumption is closely associated with better diet quality and dietary diversity score. Objective This study aims to analyze the vegetable consumption and diet diversity of households with vegetable gardens and households without vegetable gardens. Methods The study used a quantitative method and a descriptive and inferential research design. Given the specific profile of respondents, purposive sampling was employed. However, quotas per profile were set. The data were collected using quantitative tools such as guided questionnaires and a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. Results The majority of the gardeners were female, ages 54 to 64, mainly living in the Barangay UP campus, with high school as their highest educational attainment. The non-gardeners were Vegetable gardeners who earned less than ₱20,000 compared to the non-gardeners who earned. Vegetable gardeners were likelier to meet the recommended vegetable consumption and had a higher Dietary Diversity Score. Conclusions The respondents who met the recommended vegetable intake of three to five servings were mostly vegetable gardeners. Thus, vegetable gardening aids in increasing the vegetable consumption of households because of the accessibility they have to nutritious foods compared to households that do not practice home gardening.

Keywords

• Vegetable Gardening
• Vegetable Consumption
• Dietary Diversity