Assessing Diet Quality of a Type 2 Diabetes Sample Using the Healthy Eating Index 2005

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the diet quality of a sample of individuals with type 2 diabetes, using the Healthy Eating Index 2005, and to determine differences in total and component scores among clinical and demographic characteristics. Participants were recruited from clinics at a large, urban medical center. Each participant (n = 99) completed three to four 24-hour recalls and a demographics questionnaire. Foods were converted to MyPyramid servings to create Healthy Eating Index 2005 scores (mean ± SD = 56.3 ± 10.2). The mean Healthy Eating Index 2005 score of the sample was 56.3 (n = 99). Older adults had significantly higher scores than adults 40 to 60 years of age, and individuals classified as food secure had significantly higher scores than those classified as the food insecure. Clinicians should place further emphasis on inclusion of dark green and orange vegetables and legumes, whole grains, and dairy and exclusion of items high in sodium, saturated fat, solid fat, alcohol, and added sugars. Individuals with low food security may require additional education to comply with nutrition guidelines.

Diet Quality Indices and Their Correlation with Glycemic Status and Lipid Profile in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

“…Also, in Coltman's study, it was observed that older people had a higher HEI score compared to the patients between 40 and 60 years old. Their results were consistent with ours [ 21 ]. Also, in a study carried out by Patricia Guenther, the mean score of HEI-2010 was lower in younger adults compared to older adults; the obtained results were similar to both editions of HEI (HEI-2005 and HEI-2010) [ 22 ].…”

Diabetes-related nutrition knowledge and dietary adherence in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: A mixed-methods exploratory study

“…We observed fair diet quality scores in our cohort similar to other studies reporting scores ranging from 40.2 to 58.8, with poor intake of wholegrains, dairy, fruits and vegetables. 34,35 In Singapore, the promotion of wholegrains, fruits and vegetables is ubiquitous among public diabetes-related health messages, guidelines and education. 26 However, our findings suggest that these health promotional messages may not necessarily be translated into ‘process knowledge’ in patients with T2DM.…”

Short-term improvements in diet quality in people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are associated with smoking status, physical activity and body mass index: the 3D case series study

“…This finding is consistent with cross-sectional data from 2018 that found an inverse association between diet quality (measured by DASH score) and obesity in 211 Chinese adults (54.5% male) with T2D 27 . Similarly, a 2013 cross-sectional study of 99 adults (27.3% male) with T2D in the United States (US) found that individuals who were of normal weight or overweight, had a significantly higher diet quality (measured by Healthy Eating Index score) than those who were obese 29 . The present study has advanced upon these cross-sectional studies by investigating changes in diet quality over time, suggesting that male patients who have a higher BMI at diagnosis may find dietary change more difficult than those who start off with lower mean BMI.…”

“…Diet quality has been shown to be inversely associated with rates of obesity [26][27][28][29] . In the present study, men who did not improve their diet quality by 3 months had a significantly higher baseline BMI than men who improved their diet quality (p = 0.048).…”