Author Identifier (ORCID)
Caroline R. Hill’s ORCID record 
Lauren Blekkenhorst’s ORCID record
Abstract
Purpose: Adequate fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is the foundation of a healthy diet; however, intake is especially low among stroke survivors. This study explores barriers and motivators to FV intake in female stroke survivors and informs strategies to improve well-being.
Methods: Female stroke survivors completed questionnaires and attended either a focus group or an interview, with the resulting transcripts analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: Ten female stroke survivors aged (mean [SD]) 66.3 [17.1] years completed the study. Across the focus groups (n = 3) and interviews (n = 2), three themes emerged: (1) “Navigating alone,” reported that survivors felt left to fend for themselves for dietary support and education. (2) “If it’s good for me” identified a willingness to improve FV intake and nutrition literacy. (3) “Make it easy” highlighted the need for compensatory strategies to raise FV intake. Barriers to FV intake included physical impairments, fatigue, and memory loss. These barriers impacted food shopping, preparation, and consumption, necessitating reliance on family and compensatory strategies. Motivators included education, simplified recipes, reminders, and pre-prepared options.
Conclusion: Female stroke survivors wanted more dietary education, FV knowledge, support, and practical stroke-appropriate resources. Incorporating these findings into rehabilitation planning may improve the well-being of female stroke survivors.
Keywords
barriers, diet, enablers, females, fruit and vegetables, health delivery, rehabilitation, Stroke
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
14645165
ISSN
09638288
Publication Title
Disability and Rehabilitation
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
101951
Funding Information
This work was supported by the Women’s Health Research, Translation and Impact Network, funded by the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund [WHRTN EMCR: EPCD000014 to S.R.B/senior mentor A.D], a NHMRC of Australia Emerging Leadership Investigator Grant [ID: 1172987 to L.C.B], and a National Heart Foundation of Australia Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship [ID: 102498 to L.C.B].
Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
1172987
Funding received from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
EPCD000014
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Hill, C. R., Via, J. D., Blekkenhorst, L. C., Dupuy, M., Freak-Poli, R., Zhong, L., Hodgson, J. M., Sim, M., Stanley, M., Devine, A., & Radavelli-Bagatini, S. (2026). Understanding barriers and motivators for fruit and vegetable intake in female stroke survivors: A qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2026.2710823