Behavioural and cognitive processes adults use to change their fruit and vegetable consumption

![CDATA[Inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables accounts for 2.2% of the burden of disease in Australia. To help understand how ready adults are to change intake and what enables them to change, we assessed stages- and processes-of-change. A validated questionnaire that measures stages- and processes-of-change in relation to fruit and vegetable consumption was used to investigate the cognitive and behavioural processes adults use to change intake. University students and workers (n = 105; female = 77) aged 18–60 years and in paid employment for a minimum of 7 hours per week participated. Stage-of-change classifi - cation was based on a previously validated algorithm that included a quantitative component to assess fruit and vegetable intake and questions regarding readiness to change. The process-of-change questionnaire used 40 items, with responses on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from ‘never’ (scored as 1) to ‘repeatedly’ (scored as 5). Thirty-one were in precontemplation, two in contemplation, 58 in preparation and 14 in maintenance. No participants were classifi ed into the action stageof- change. ANOVA was used to compare differences in process usage between stages (data from contemplation and preparation were combined). The largest difference in process usage occurred between precontemplation and the combined contemplation/preparation stages, for both cognitive process usage (p < 0.0005) and behavioural process usage (p < 0.05). The individual processes predominantly responsible for these changes were consciousness raising, dramatic relief, self reevaluation and self liberation. When designing a program to increase fruit and vegetable intake, targeting these processes may assist participants’ progression towards behaviour change.]]