Evaluation of diet quality with the mediterranean dietary quality index in university students

Abstract. Results of epidemiologic studies and clinical trials have shown that subjects following the Mediterranean diet had lower inflammatory markers such as homocysteine (Hcy). Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess female diet quality with the Mediterranean diet quality index (MDQI) and to determine the correlation between MDQI, homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 levels in the blood. The study participants were 237 apparently healthy women (96 of reproductive age and 141 postmenopausal) between 25 and 93 years. For each participant, 24-hour dietary recalls for 3 days were collected, MDQI was calculated, and plasma Hcy, serum and erythrocyte folate and vitamin B12 levels were analysed. Total MDQI ranged from 8 to 10 points, which represented a medium-poor diet for the subjects. The strength of correlation using biomarkers, regardless of group type, age, gender and other measured parameters, was ranked from best (0.11) to worst (0.52) for olive oil, fish, fruits and vegetables, grains, and meat, in this order. Hcy levels showed the best response among all markers across all groups and food types. Our study shows significant differences between variables of the MDQI and Hcy levels compared to levels of folate and vitamin B12 in participants with medium-poor diet quality, as evaluated according to MDQI scores.

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Development and Application of a Total Diet Quality Index for Toddlers

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13061943 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1943

Author(s):

Melissa C. Kay ◽

Emily W. Duffy ◽

Lisa J. Harnack ◽

Andrea S. Anater ◽

Joel C. Hampton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

National Sample ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Measurement Tool ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Diet Quality Index

For the first time, the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include recommendations for infants and toddlers under 2 years old. We aimed to create a diet quality index based on a scoring system for ages 12 to 23.9 months, the Toddler Diet Quality Index (DQI), and evaluate its construct validity using 24 h dietary recall data collected from a national sample of children from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016. The mean (standard error) Toddler DQI was 49 (0.6) out of 100 possible points, indicating room for improvement. Toddlers under-consumed seafood, greens and beans, and plant proteins and over-consumed refined grains and added sugars. Toddler DQI scores were higher among children who were ever breastfed, lived in households with higher incomes, and who were Hispanic. The Toddler DQI performed as expected and offers a measurement tool to assess the dietary quality of young children in accordance with federal nutrition guidelines. This is important for providing guidance that can be used to inform public health nutrition policies, programs, and practices to improve diets of young children.

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Validation of the Diet Quality Index for Adolescents by comparison with biomarkers, nutrient and food intakes: the HELENA study

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s000711451200414x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 109 (11) ◽

pp. 2067-2078 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Krishna Vyncke ◽

Estefania Cruz Fernandez ◽

Marta Fajó-Pascual ◽

Magdalena Cuenca-García ◽

Willem De Keyzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Nutrient Level ◽

Multilevel Regression ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

Helena Study

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) aim to address the nutritional requirements at population level in order to prevent diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle. Diet quality indices can be used to assess the compliance with these FBDG. The present study aimed to investigate whether the newly developed Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (DQI-A) is a good surrogate measure for adherence to FBDG, and whether adherence to these FBDG effectively leads to better nutrient intakes and nutritional biomarkers in adolescents. Participants included 1804 European adolescents who were recruited in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) Study. Dietary intake was assessed by two, non-consecutive 24 h recalls. A DQI-A score, considering the components' dietary quality, diversity and equilibrium, was calculated. Associations between the DQI-A and food and nutrient intakes and blood concentration biomarkers were investigated using multilevel regression analysis corrected for centre, age and sex. DQI-A scores were associated with food intake in the expected direction: positive associations with nutrient-dense food items, such as fruits and vegetables, and inverse associations with energy-dense and low-nutritious foods. On the nutrient level, the DQI-A was positively related to the intake of water, fibre and most minerals and vitamins. No association was found between the DQI-A and total fat intake. Furthermore, a positive association was observed with 25-hydroxyvitamin D, holo-transcobalamin andn-3 fatty acid serum levels. The present study has shown good validity of the DQI-A by confirming the expected associations with food and nutrient intakes and some biomarkers in blood.

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Environmental Impact of Dietary Choices: Role of the Mediterranean and Other Dietary Patterns in an Italian Cohort

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1468 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Giuseppe Grosso ◽

Ujué Fresán ◽

Maira Bes-Rastrollo ◽

Stefano Marventano ◽

Fabio Galvano

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Water Use ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Quality Index ◽

Energy Use ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Impact

Background: Current scientific literature suggests healthy dietary patterns may have less environmental impact than current consumption patterns, but most of the studies rely on theoretical modeling. The aim of this study was to assess the impact on resources (land, water, and energy) use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of healthy dietary patterns in a sample of Italian adults. Methods: Participants (n = 1806) were recruited through random sampling in the city of Catania, southern Italy. Dietary consumption was assessed through a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); dietary patterns were calculated through dietary scores. The specific environmental footprints of food item production/processing were obtained from various available life-cycle assessments; a sustainability score was created based on the impact of the four environmental components calculated. Results: The contribution of major food groups to the environmental footprint showed that animal products (dairy, egg, meat, and fish) represented more than half of the impact on GHG emissions and energy requirements; meat products were the stronger contributors to GHG emissions and water use, while dairy products to energy use, and cereals to land use. All patterns investigated, with the exception of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), were linearly associated with the sustainability score. Among the components, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and Alternate Diet Quality Index (AHEI) was associated with lower GHG emissions, dietary quality index-international (DQI-I) with land use, while Nordic diet with land and water use. Conclusions: In conclusion, the adoption of healthy dietary patterns involves less use of natural resources and GHG emissions, representing eco-friendlier options in Italian adults.

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Evaluation of a mobile application for estimation of food intake

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/1678-98652017000100009 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 91-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samantha Bittencourt MESCOLOTO ◽

Simone CAIVANO ◽

Semíramis Martins Álvares DOMENE

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

University Students ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Quality Index ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

Strong Correlations ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Diet Quality Index

ABSTRACT Objective: Evaluate the use of the Nutrabem (São Paulo, Brasil) mobile application as a tool for measurement of food intake among university students. Methods: Cross-sectional study of a random sample of 40 undergraduate students at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista. Food intake data were estimated using the Nutrabem app and the 24-hour dietary recall. Intakes of energy, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, calcium, iron, and vitamin C were calculated. The intake of food groups and diet quality were evaluated by the Diet Quality Index associated with the Digital Food Guide. The agreement between the methods was assessed using the Pearson's correlation coefficient and the Student' t-test. Results: Strong correlations were observed between energy (0.77), carbohydrates (0.82) and protein (0.83). The groups: poultry, fish, and eggs; beef and pork; refined grains and breads; and fruits and legumes showed strong correlations (between 0.76 and 0.85). There were moderate correlations (0.59 and 0.71) between the groups sugars and sweets; whole grains, tubers and roots, milk and dairy products, animal fats, and the Diet Quality Index associated with the Digital Food Guide scores. Vegetables and leafy greens, nuts, and vegetable oils showed weak correlations (0.31 and 0.43). Homogeneity assessment revealed similarity between the results obtained by both methods (p>0.05) . Conclusion: The Nutrabem app can be used as a tool to assess dietary intake among university students since it produces results similar to those obtained by the 24-hour dietary recall method.

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The Reliability of the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) Questionnaire

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu9040419 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 419 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Lovro Štefan ◽

Rebeka Prosoli ◽

Dora Juranko ◽

Marko Čule ◽

Ivan Milinović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

The Mediterranean

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The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) and Nutrition Knowledge

The Mediterranean Diet ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-407849-9.00011-7 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 115-122

Author(s):

Semra Akar Sahingoz

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Nutrition Knowledge ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

The Mediterranean

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Comparison of The Sleep Status and Nutrition Habits of the Students in The First and Second Education of Trakya University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.33880/ejfm.2019080204 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 78-83

Author(s):

Sedef Duran ◽

Ezgi Durmuşçelebi ◽

Merve Yalçın ◽

Gülşah Karmil ◽

Asja Radonciq

Keyword(s):

Secondary Education ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Sleep Patterns ◽

Education Students ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

The University

Aim: Sleep duration and quality affect the food consumption and weight gain; also food consumption affects the sleep. It was found that the university students have very serious problems in terms of nutrition and sleep patterns. The aim of this study is to investigate the sleep status and eating habits of the students in the first and secondary education of university. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 130 students from first and 108 students from secondary education of the university. Height, weight, waist and hip measurements of each participant were taken. Demographic characteristics, habits, dietary behaviors and sleep patterns of the participants were evaluated. Results: It was determined that the students in the secondary education had a significantly higher rate of eating more at nights and skipped meals during the day. When all the participants were considered, there was a opposite and weak opposite correlation in the between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Mediterranean Diet Quality Index scores. According to the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index, the ratio of those with very low dietary quality was 51.5% for the students in the first education and 61.1% for the students in the second education. Conclusion: It was found that, secondary education students eat more at night than first education students; they skip meals during the day and had a very low diet quality according to Mediterranean Diet Quality Index. In order to prevent these problems, regular sleep and nutrition training should be given to the students of secondary education.

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Diet quality of a population sample from coastal north-east Spain evaluated by a Mediterranean adaptation of the Diet Quality Index (DQI)

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980009990231 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 12-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Isabel Bondia-Pons ◽

Jordi Mayneris-Perxachs ◽

Lluís Serra-Majem ◽

Ana I Castellote ◽

Abel Mariné ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Dietary Pattern ◽

Quality Index ◽

Nutrition Survey ◽

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

North East ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Arachidonic Acids

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern in the population from a coastal region from north-east Spain and its relationship to diseases, applying the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (M-DQI) validated by the use of several biomarkers.DesignCross-sectional nutrition survey.SettingPopulation-based random sample derived from the Catalan Nutrition Survey.SubjectsA total of 621 healthy adults.ResultsThe Catalan representative sample presented a mean M-DQI score of 6·6 (sd 2·3, median 7, range 0–14). The percentage of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was 53 %; 10 % of subjects showed high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while only 2 % were categorized as poorest adherence. The plasma fatty acid profile of the Catalan sample progressed with perfect regularity throughout the index ranges. Both EPA and DHA presented a significant correlation to the M-DQI (r = −0·410 for EPA and −0·360 for DHA). A significant increase in palmitic, oleic and α-linolenic acids and a significant decrease in stearic, linoleic and arachidonic acids content were also observed. The mean values for the M-DQI according to the clinical characteristics of the Catalan sample were also calculated.ConclusionsThe M-DQI has been demonstrated a suitable tool for assessment of an individual’s nutritional status according to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and for clinical purposes. Although the current diet followed in Catalonia seems to agree with the main characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, the promotion of the Mediterranean pattern should be reinforced in the Catalan population, especially among young people.

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Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Children and Youth in the Mediterranean Region in Croatia: A Comparative Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu14020302 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 302

Author(s):

Antonela Matana ◽

Ivana Franić ◽

Endica Radić Hozo ◽

Ante Burger ◽

Petra Boljat

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Prevalence Rate ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Quality Index ◽

Total Sample ◽

Children And Youth ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Study Participants ◽

Lower Physical Activity

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is considered one of the healthiest dietary patterns. The aim of this study was to assess MD adherence in children and youth living in the Mediterranean region in Croatia and evaluate the differences in adherence to the MD among different educational stages. In total, 2722 individuals aged 2 to 24 years were enrolled in this study. Subjects were divided into different groups according to the Croatian educational system. Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) was used to assess adherence to the MD. In the total sample, the adherence to the MD was poor in 19.2%, average in 60.8%, and good in 20.1% of the study participants. The prevalence rate of poor adherence to the MD increased with higher educational stage, i.e., the highest prevalence rate of poor MD adherence was observed for college students (39.3%). Children having a higher number of snacks on days-off, those with lower physical activity, and not having breakfast together with a family are more likely to have poor MD adherence, while children having a higher number of snacks on working days are less likely to have a poor MD. The results of this study showed low adherence to the principles of the MD, confirming the need for improvement of adherence to the MD pattern in the studied population.

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