Evaluation of dietary quality of adolescents using Healthy Eating Index

Abstract

The aim of this study was to use the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) to assess diet quality and determine the relationship between the HEI-2005 and the energy and nutrient intakes of adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,104 healthy adolescents, mean age of 15.8 ± 1.24 years. Dietary intake was measured with the 24-hour dietary recall method, and dietary quality was assessed by means of the HEI-2005. Diet quality scores ranged from 23.7 to 77.5. The mean score was found to be 51.5 ± 9.07 according to the HEI-2005. There were no differences according to gender; 42.8% had a poor diet and 57.2% had a diet that needs improvement. No subjects had a "good diet". Lower mean subgroup scores were found for whole grains, total vegetables, total fruits, dairy products, and meat and beans. Fruits and vegetables scores were significantly high in girls, whereas sodium, oil, and meat and beans scores were significantly high in boys. Total HEI-2005 scores were increasingly associated with parental education level when age and gender were adjusted. There was a negative correlation between HEI-2005 scores and age, total energy intake, and fat intake. Positive correlation was only observed in the HEI-2005 scores for protein and dietary fibre intakes. Consequently, the overall diet quality and nutritional habits of Turkish adolescents need modification and improvement. In the family, measures should be initiated by the government, including advertisements and campaigns.

Development and validation of a food-based diet quality index for New Zealand adolescents

“…Although an increasing number of studies have employed diet indices to describe diet quality in children and adolescents [12-14,16-20,22-24,28,51,54-56], none have been conducted in NZ. Six studies have reported the validity of a diet index against an independent reference method among populations which included adolescents aged 13 years and above [17,20,23,28,51,54].…”

“…The assessment of diet quality among adolescents has tended to use both food and nutrient-based diet indices such as the Healthy Eating Index [11-13] and its derivatives [14,15]. These diet indices were adapted from those originally developed for adults based on the United States Dietary Guidelines.…”

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Nutrition Education for Improvement of Diet Quality and Inflammation in Iranian Obese Women

“…Briefly, the HEI-2005 comprises 12 components, which are scored on a scale from 0 to maximum ( M ), where M is 5, 10, or 20 according to the component. Thus, the composite HEI score can potentially range from a minimum of zero to a maximum score of 100, with 100 points referring to perfect diet quality and lower results indicating larger deviations from the recommended intakes [ 7 ]. For each individual and each component, the ratio of the reported intake of food group (relevant to the HEI component considered) to the reported energy intake was also calculated.…”

Socioeconomic status and dietary patterns in children from around the world: different associations by levels of country human development?

“…Studies in high income countries attribute disparities in obesity and health in part to differences in diet quality [6–8]. For most high income countries in general, energy-dense foods cost less, whereas healthier foods tend to cost more [7, 9, 10]; thus, diet quality may differ by socioeconomic status (SES) [9, 11].…”