Barriers to and facilitators for adherence to nutritional intervention: Consumption of fruits and vegetables

•The adherence to nutritional intervention was high at a Brazilian Primary Health Care.•The scenario and intervention methodology were important for adherence.•Health condition and work factors prejudice adherence. The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers and facilitators for the adherence of participants to a nutritional intervention. A randomized controlled trial was carried out with participants from the Health Academy Program in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The intervention (7 mo) was based on the Transtheoretical Model and on Paulo Freire's pedagogy and offered 12 education activities with the purpose of promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Adherene was determined by calculating the participation percentage (attendance at activities/number of activities). In all, 1483 individuals participated and the average adherence was 58.3%. Low adherence was demonstrated by 24.3%, medium adherence by 26.5%, and high adherence by 49.2% of the participants. Adherence was associated with aging (odds ratio [OR], 1.97; 95% CI, 1.33–2.94), being unemployed (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58–0.95), not being under psychiatric treatment (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63–0.95), participant body satisfaction (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02–1.58) and participant attendance at the Health Academy Program for >1 y (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.17–3.56). The qualitative analysis revealed the following facilitators for adherence: service structure, intervention methodology, bond-building among users and professionals, family support, and patient-associated aspects. The barriers to adherence included work, self-care, and care for another. Adherence to the intervention was high, and the patient-associated aspects, the logistics of the Health Academy Program, and the methodology appeared to contribute to adherence. However, the timetable was a barrier for those who were working and for those who support their families.