Nearly one-third of American adults eat two or more servings of fruit daily, far short of the goal of a government initiative, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The Healthy People 2010 initiative set out to get 75 percent of American adults to eat at least two servings of fruit a day and to get at least 50 percent to eat at least three servings of vegetables every day for optimal health. But a survey conducted in 2009 showed that two-thirds of adults in the U.S. fail to reach the fruit goal, a CDC report, dated Sept. 10, 2010, said.

In 2009, 32.5 percent of U.S. adults met the goal for fruit consumption, down from 34.4 percent in 2000, the report said. Washington, D.C., had the highest proportion, with 40.2 percent of adults meeting the two-fruits-a-day goal. Oklahoma was last with 18.1 percent. More women met the goal than men (36.1 percent vs. 28.7 percent). People ages 55 to 64 met the goal most often, with 32.7 percent. Hispanics were the ethnicity who had the highest proportion of people meeting the goal, 37.2 percent.

Education level may play a role in fruit consumption, according to the survey. Of college graduates, 36.9 percent met the goal, the highest proportion of all education levels. High school graduates were the lowest with 28.9 percent meeting the goal.

The CDC analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing survey of health behaviors in the U.S.

Source: Fresh Fruit Portal