Individual and Neighborhood Environmental Factors Affecting Healthy Eating Among Korean Rural Adults

BACKGROUND: Although it is recognized that social and environmental factors influence healthy eating behaviors, few studies have investigated the association between environmental factors and healthy eating among rural adults in Korea. We aimed to identify individual and neighborhood environmental factors influencing adherence to fruit and vegetable intake among adults living in rural areas using an ecological approach. METHODS: The study sample comprised 1,582 adults from 38 rural areas from Chungbuk Province, South Korea in 2017 who provided individual- and neighborhood-level data. Neighborhood-level data were obtained by aggregating individual-level responses measured for each residential town resulting in an average value for each neighborhood-level variable for the 38 rural areas. The data were merged and used for a series of multilevel logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Among the individual-level factors, age, alcohol drinking, physical activity, self-efficacy for healthy eating, and social support for healthy eating were significantly associated with adherence to fruit and vegetable intake. Among the neighborhood-level factors, social cohesion and perceived neighborhood safety were significantly associated with adherence to fruit and vegetable intake. CONCLUSION: Multifaceted intervention strategies to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables should include behavioral modification, social support, and improvement of neighborhood environments.