en Food Science Food Science پژوهشي Research <p><strong>Background and Objectives: </strong>Low Fruit/Vegetable (FV) diet seems to be a global public health problem. The&nbsp;trans-theoretical&nbsp;stages of change&nbsp;model&nbsp;have long been considered a useful interventional approach in lifestyle modification programs. The aim of this study was to find the most important intermediating factors of FV consumption in Mashhad, Iran.</p> <p><strong>Materials and Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional design, 777 participants were included with a convenient method from the general population in public places all around the Mashhad City, Iran in 2014. A standardized checklist about socio-demographic characteristics and possible related factors and stages of change questionnaire (6 stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparing, action, maintenance, and termination) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software using Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Multiple Logistic Regression.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Totally, 254 (47.7%) and 299 (59.8%) of participants were in pre-action stages of FV, respectively. Smoking (OR=3.2, p=0.02) and believing that this is good for the body (OR=0.12, p=0.001) were predictors of the pre-contemplation stage for fruits. Being physically active (OR=2, p=0.008), low agreement with health benefits of vegetables (OR=8, p<0.001) and low agreement with &ldquo;vegetables make more diet variability&rdquo; (OR=4, p<0.005) were predictors of pre-contemplation stage for vegetables.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Understanding the pros and cons of changing lifestyle can help public health specialists to perform targeted interventions.</p> <p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Behavior, Fruit, Vegetable, Trans-Theoretical Model, Urban population</p> Behavior, Fruit, Vegetable, Trans-Theoretical Model, Urban population 13 21 http://nfsr.sbmu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-484-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Veda Vakili VakiliV@mums.ac.ir 10031947532846001717 10031947532846001717 No Assistant Professor of Community Medicine and Public Health Majid Khadem-Rezaiyan khademrm921@mums.ac.ir 10031947532846001718 10031947532846001718 Yes Resident of Community Medicine and Public Health, Student Research Committee, Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran