ASSOCIATIVE FACTORS ON THE VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION AMONG THE STUDENTS OF NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Vegetables form an essential part of a healthy diet. A survey showed that the average consumption of vegetables is low in the Filipino diet. It remains challenging to improve vegetable intake among students, especially when they are in school, despite increased awareness of vegetable consumption for health. Therefore, it is essential to understand more about why students do not eat enough vegetables. The study used a descriptive research design and the analysis of the resulting survey data included descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and mean. A total of 89 students participated in the study. The majority of them were female, had height between 5’0 – 5’11, had weight between 40 – 49 kg and had normal body mass index value. In terms of how often they eat vegetables, most of them sometimes eat vegetables each day. In terms of the statements about why they do not want to eat vegetables, the average weighted mean obtained was 3.07 with verbal interpretation “Sometimes”. Meanwhile, in terms of their perceived harmful effects of not eating vegetables, the average weighted mean obtained was 3.17 with verbal interpretation “Sometimes”. Last, they believe that their family can encourage them to eat vegetables. Therefore, the researcher concludes that factors affect vegetable consumption in the respondents' life. The research study implied to all the students the importance of good nutrition to develop good eating habits that will support a lifetime of maximizing their full potential.