UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

The California Dietary Practices Survey (CDPS) is nationally recognized as the oldest, state-specific tracking survey for fruit and vegetable intake in the country. Before this study, the examination of trends over time, especially for the race/ethnic groups of interest and for their low-income cohort, could not rule out seasonal effects. Because the CDPS has not always spanned the exact same months, although generally it covers July through October, seasonal issues concerning the race/ethnic samples have been suspect. The results of this study enhance both the interpretative dimensions of past and future CDPS findings. This study set out to achieve four objectives that are intended to illuminate and augment observations and methodological issues related to the CDPS in tracking fruit and vegetable consumption in the California population. The first and primary objective is to explore whether seasonal variation exists during the months of the year. The second is to quantify differences among, and seasonality effects as it relates to, the race/ethnic groups tracked by the CDPS, specifically Whites, Latinos, and African Americans. The third objective is to see if Latino acculturation plays a role in seasonal differences. And fourth, nested within this study is the calibration of a short form version of the CDPS dietary collection method. This study assesses this short form as a possible low-cost substitute data collection tool for tracking fruit and vegetable intake.