Factors Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Women of Reproductive Age in Flint, Michigan: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> There is a paucity of research evaluating factors associated with healthy eating behaviors in reproductive-age, non-pregnant women. This study aims to examine the association between sociodemographic, perceived health, and environmental factors with fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and adherence to dietary recommendations among women of reproductive age who lived, worked, or attended school in Flint, Michigan, during the Flint water crisis (April 2014-October 2015). <b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study used data collected from enrollment surveys completed by participants in the Flint Registry (December 2019-2021). Inclusion criteria were females aged 18-55 having complete data on sociodemographic indicator, general health perception, and dietary assessment data (n = 1239). Pearson chi-square measures of association were used to compare frequencies within groups between sociodemographic characteristics, perceived health and wellbeing (PHW), F&V quality/selection, adherence to recommendations, and total F&V intake. <b>Results:</b> Few participants met recommendations for fruits (22.8%) and vegetables (20.3%). Approximately 50.5% reported having access to a wide variety of F&Vs in their neighborhood and perceived F&V quality to be high. Factors significantly associated with meeting F&V recommendations included education, income, homeownership status, and PHW (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <b>Conclusions:</b> Associations between environmental and socioeconomic factors and daily F&V intake among women of reproductive age offer important considerations for designing interventions to improve this demographic's nutritional status. Results indicate low adherence to recommended F&V intake but perceived access and quality as high in this population. Targeted interventions addressing key components of socioeconomic barriers, perceived access and quality, and perceived wellbeing are needed to improve F&V intake.