Background: The World Health Organization recommends a minimum intake of five servings (400 g) of FAVs per person (adults) per day. Regardless of the promising benefit from FAVs consumption, 78.0% of global population consumed less than the minimum recommended five daily servings of FAVs. Studies recommended the need to consider the effect of seasonality on daily intake of fruits and vegetables in resource-poor settings.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of inadequate of FAVs consumption, compare the variations in FAVs consumption by different seasons and identify factors associated with inadequate FAVs consumption among adults in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites (AM-HDSS), southern Ethiopia, 2019/20.

Method and Materials: A total of 472 adults were recruited using simple random sampling. Participants were asked questions on their intake of fruits and intake of vegetables, during the two different seasons, using questions from the WHO STEPS survey tool for NCD risk factors. An individual intake of less than 400gram of FAV per day is considered as an inadequate intake. The differences between post- and pre-harvest seasons were determined using paired t-test. Adjusted Odd Ratios with 95% Confidence interval (CI) were calculated and statistical significance were declared at p-value < 0.05 cut point in multivariate analysis. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Review Board of Arba Minch University.

Results: The highest consumption of FAV was seen in the post-harvest season with a mean (SD) difference of 174 (958). The prevalence of inadequate FAV intake in the post-harvest season was 28.8%; 95%CI (24.6%, 33.3%) while in the pre-harvest season was 37.1%; 95%CI (32.5%, 41.8%). Inadequate FAV consumption was higher among adults who had no formal schooling [AOR=2.73; 95%CI: (1.64, 4.56)]; those who live in households that did not cultivate FAV [AOR=1.89; 95%CI: (1.10, 3.26); had inadequate HDDS [AOR=3.06; 95%CI (1.81, 5.19)]. Inadequate consumption FAV is lower among adults who had made a decision on what to eat by someone else in the household [AOR=0.24; 95%CI: (0.08, 0.68)].

Conclusions: There is significant variation in FAV consumption among adult residents of AM-HDSS. More than one in three adults consumed an inadequate amount of FAV. Improving productivity/accessibility of FAV might be an effective means to enhance FAV consumption.