“We’re Really Bad About Our Vegetables in This House”: Understanding Barriers of and Facilitators to Improving Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Patrons of a Hybrid Food and Resource Center and Community Garden

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Programs that provide fruit and vegetable (FV) access do not consistently improve FV intake. This longitudinal, sequential explanatory mixed methods study integrated two phases of data collection: (1) quantitative (survey, skin carotenoids) and (2) qualitative (semi-structured interviews) to examine barriers to and facilitators of FV intake among patrons of a food and resource center. Participants (n = 30) had a mean age of 45.9 years and were primarily women (73.3%). Skin carotenoids were mostly unchanged (P = .51). Qualitatively, n = 26 participants described facilitators (perceptions of quality, alignment with health goals) and barriers (mental health, competing challenges/priorities). Programs should prioritize non-diet determinants of FV intake.