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Correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among construction laborers and motor freight workers

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare and contrast correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption in two blue-collar populations: construction laborers and motor freight workers.

Methods

Cross-sectional data were collected from two groups of male workers: (1) construction laborers (n = 1,013; response rate = 44 %) randomly selected from a national sample, as part of a diet and smoking cessation study; and (2) motor freight workers (n = 542; response rate = 78 %) employed in eight trucking terminals, as part of a tobacco cessation and weight management study. Data were analyzed using linear regression modeling methods.

Results

For both groups, higher income and believing it was important to eat right because of work were positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption; conversely, being white was associated with lower intake. Construction laborers who reported eating junk food due to workplace stress and fatigue had lower fruit and vegetable intake. For motor freight workers, perceiving fast food to be the only choice at work and lack of time to eat right were associated with lower consumption.

Conclusion

Comparing occupational groups illustrates how work experiences may be related to fruit and vegetable consumption in different ways as well as facilitates the development of interventions that can be used across groups.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the members of the Laborers’ International Union, the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the Motor Freight Carriers Association for their support of and contributions to this study. The authors also wish to thank the numerous investigators and staff members who contributed to this study, including Elizabeth Barbeau, Josh Gagne, Elizabeth Harden, Kerry Kokkinogenis, Ruth Lederman, Lesley Pereira, Laura Shulman, and Lorraine Wallace. This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [grant number 5 R01 DP000099-03 to G.S.], and National Institutes of Health [grant number 2 R25 CA057713-06 to G.S., R01 CA 84387-04 to G.S. and 5 K05 CA108663-05 to G.S.].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Center for Community-Based Research, 450 Brookline Ave, LW722, Boston, MA, 02115-5450, USA

    Eve M. Nagler, K. Viswanath & Glorian Sorensen

  2. Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue-7th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    K. Viswanath & Glorian Sorensen

  3. Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Cara B. Ebbeling

  4. New England Research Institutes, 9 Galen Street, Watertown, MA, 02472, USA

    Anne M. Stoddard

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  1. Eve M. Nagler
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  2. K. Viswanath
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  3. Cara B. Ebbeling
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  4. Anne M. Stoddard
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  5. Glorian Sorensen
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Correspondence to Eve M. Nagler.

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Nagler, E.M., Viswanath, K., Ebbeling, C.B. et al. Correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among construction laborers and motor freight workers. Cancer Causes Control 24, 637–647 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9998-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9998-6

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