Definition: The percentage of seniors (65+) that self-reported consuming five more servings of fruit and vegetables per day as a part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, a county-level telephone survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Epidemiology.

Source: Florida Department of Health, Florida Charts

2025 Target: 15.29%

Below is a comparison of the value for this indicator among seven coastal counties: Charlotte, Sarasota, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas. These counties have been recommended as comparable counties by Sarasota County Government.

Seniors (65+) that Consume Five or More Servings of Fruits and Vegetables (2013)

In 2013, approximately 14% of adults ages 65 and over consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This percentage is a 48% decrease from 2002 (27%), and a 57% decrease from 2008 (32%). The 2014 percentage for Sarasota County was 2.3% lower than for the State of Florida in 2013 (16.2%).

The percent of people consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily is partly dependent on income. In 2013, approximately 13.8% of people in Sarasota County making less than $25,000 annually reported eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, while approximately 18.4% of people in Sarasota County making more than $50,000 annually reported doing so. Additionally, food deserts, or areas where it is difficult to buy affordable fresh food, contribute to unhealthy diets among seniors. There are 10 low-income census tracts in Sarasota County that qualify as food desserts, where a significant share of residents live further than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Seniors in these food desserts that lack adequate transportation are particularly vulnerable.

Dietary intake affects the health of older Americans, because poor diet quality is associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. According to a 2014 AARP study of adult Floridians, 9.2% of seniors in Florida are food insecure, meaning that they do not have steady access to nutritious foods.