scholarly journals Development of a Diet Quality Index Adapted for Pregnant Women

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lívia Castro Crivellenti ◽  
Daniela Cristina Candelas Zuccolotto ◽  
Daniela Saes Sartorelli

OBJECTIVE: To develop a Diet Quality Index Adapted for Pregnant Women (IQDAG) and to evaluate its relation with the characteristics of women treated at the Brazilian Unified Health System. METHODS: The data on food intake come from a cross-sectional study carried out with 785 adult pregnant women in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, between 2011 and 2012. The index was based on the recommendations of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, previous national dietary indexes, and the new Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population. We used the ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests to describe the quality of the diet according to the characteristics of the mother. RESULTS: The IQDAG has nine components, and it is represented by three food groups (in servings/1,000 kcal), five nutrients, and a moderator component. A high proportion of pregnant women reached the maximum score for the components of legumes and vegetables. However, few women reached the maximum score for consumption of fresh fruits, fiber, omega-3, calcium, folate, iron, and ultra-processed foods. We verified a better quality of diet among older and eutrophic pregnant women who reported practicing more physical activity and taking dietary supplements. We also observed the highest index score among women with higher intake of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins C, E, and A, and minerals calcium, folate, and iron, as well as among those with lower intake of total fats and saturated fats. CONCLUSIONS: This dietary index is unprecedented in incorporating the recommendation of the new Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population regarding the moderation of the consumption of ultra-processed foods. It was useful in evaluating the quality of the diet of pregnant women and we verified a higher score among older and eutrophic women who reported a healthy lifestyle. Strategies are needed to promote a higher consumption of fresh fruits, foods high in fiber, omega-3, calcium, folate, iron, and minimally processed foods in pregnant women.

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 801-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Bodnar ◽  
Anna Maria Siega-Riz

AbstractObjective:Methods currently used to assess nutritional status during pregnancy have limitations if one wishes to examine the overall quality of the diet. A Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy (DQI-P) was developed to reflect current nutritional recommendations for pregnancy and national dietary guidelines.Design:Dietary intake was assessed during the second trimester using a food-frequency questionnaire. The DQI-P includes eight components: % recommended servings of grains, vegetables and fruits, % recommendations for folate, iron and calcium, % energy from fat, and meal/snack patterning score. Scores can range from 0 to 80; each component contributed 10 points.Setting:Two public prenatal clinics in central North Carolina.Subjects:N = 2063 pregnant women who participated in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition (PIN) Study.Results:The DQI-P quantitatively differentiated diets. The mean score for the population was 56.0 (standard deviation 12.0). Women who were <30 years old, <350% of poverty, nulliparous and high school graduates had significantly higher overall DQI-P scores. Higher percentages of recommended vegetable servings were consumed by higher-income, older and better-educated women. Greater percentages of recommended intakes of folate and iron were seen among black, low-income and nulliparous women. Higher iron intakes were also seen among women who graduated high school and were less than 30 years old. Other differences were observed for intake of fat and meal/snack pattern. Because this index was based on national recommendations, the DQI-P may be a useful tool for research and public health settings to evaluating overall diet quality of pregnant women.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1943
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Kay ◽  
Emily W. Duffy ◽  
Lisa J. Harnack ◽  
Andrea S. Anater ◽  
Joel C. Hampton ◽  
...  

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.


2012 ◽  
Vol 109 (11) ◽  
pp. 2067-2078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Vyncke ◽  
Estefania Cruz Fernandez ◽  
Marta Fajó-Pascual ◽  
Magdalena Cuenca-García ◽  
Willem De Keyzer ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Jarman ◽  
Nisha Vashi ◽  
Amy Angus ◽  
Rhonda C Bell ◽  
Gerald F Giesbrecht ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:Little is known about the diet quality of preschool children in Canada. We adapted an established diet quality index for European preschool children to align with the Canadian context and applied the index to dietary data of 3-year-old children to assess patterns of diet quality.Design:Our diet quality index (DQI-C) consists of four components that align with Canada’s Food Guide (Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives) and two components that account for less healthy intakes (Candy/Snacks, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB)). The ratio between consumption v. recommended intakes is calculated for each component and summed to give a total score from 0 to 6.Setting:Alberta, Canada.Participants:The DQI-C was applied to FFQ data from 1260 3-year-old children.Results:Mean DQI-C was 3·69 (sd 0·6). Most children met recommendations for Vegetables and Fruit (73 %) and Meat and Alternatives (70 %); however, fewer met recommendations for Milk and Alternatives (38 %) and Grain Products (13 %). Children in the lowest quartile for DQI-C score consumed a mean of 82 g of Candy/Snacks and 193 g of SSB daily, whereas those in the highest quartile consumed 45 g/d and 17 g/d of Candy and Snacks and SSB, respectively.Conclusion:This DQI-C score is useful for ranking Canadian preschool children according to their overall diet quality. There is room for improvement for consumptions of Grain Products, Meat and Alternatives, Candy/Snacks and SSB, which could be a target for initiatives to improve diet quality of preschool children in Canada.


2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Carine Vereecken ◽  
Dirk De Bacquer ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
Herman Van Oyen ◽  
...  

The diet quality index (DQI) for preschool children is a new index developed to reflect compliance with four main food-based dietary guidelines for preschool children in Flanders. The present study investigates: (1) the validity of this index by comparing DQI scores for preschool children with nutrient intakes, both of which were derived from 3 d estimated diet records; (2) the reproducibility of the DQI for preschoolers based on a parentally reported forty-seven-item FFQ DQI, which was repeated after 5 weeks; (3) the relative validity of the FFQ DQI with 3 d record DQI scores as reference. The study sample included 510 and 58 preschoolers (2·5–6·5 years) for validity and reproducibility analyses, respectively. Increasing 3 d record DQI scores were associated with decreasing consumption of added sugars, and increasing intakes of fibre, water, Ca and many micronutrients. Mean FFQ DQI test–retest scores were not significantly different: 72 (sd 11) v. 71 (sd 10) (P = 0·218) out of a maximum of 100. Mean 3 d record DQI score (66 (sd 10)) was significantly lower than mean FFQ DQI (71 (sd 10); P < 0·001). The reproducibility correlation was 0·88. Pearsons correlation (adjusted for within-person variability) between FFQ and 3 d record DQI scores was 0·82. Cross-classification analysis of the FFQ and 3 d record DQI classified 60 % of the subjects in the same category and 3 % in extreme tertiles. Cross-classification of repeated administrations classified 62 % of the subjects in the same category and 3 % in extreme categories. The FFQ-based DQI approach compared well with the 3 d record approach, and it can be used to determine diet quality among preschoolers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Caivano ◽  
Fernando Antonio Basile Colugnati ◽  
Semíramis Martins Álvares Domene

Monitoring and assessing dietary intake may favor the promotion of healthy choices and the indexes that assess the quality of the diet contribute to this purpose. The Diet Quality Index associated with the Digital Food Guide (DQI-DFG) was developed from guidelines of the School of Public Health at Harvard University, adjusted for the Brazilian food habits. Based on new studies on prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases, the objective of this study was to improve and validate the DQI-DFG for a second version. The following psychometric properties were used: (a) content validation: consensus on healthy eating and DQI among experts; (b) construct validation: enhancement of a reference diet to determine recommended serving sizes and consumption ranges; correlation between each group score and energy value; comparative analyses between menu assessment by experts and DQI-DGF results to confirm the score criterion; (c) reliability: agreement between the result shown by the evaluators and the result presented by DQI-DFG; correlation between each food group score and total DQI score to understand the relationship between these variables. The energetic values do not influence the DQI score. There is a high correlation between the score attributed by experts and the result of DQI-DFG (r = 0.78 until r = 0.97). The Index components have a balanced score of influence in its final result (r = 0.49 until r = 0.10). Consensus result performed among experts legitimates the concepts that justify DQI-DFG. There was an agreement between menu quality evaluation by experts and the results shown by DQI-DFG.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2121-2128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Constante Jaime ◽  
Daniel Henrique Bandoni ◽  
Ana Clara da Fonseca Leitão Duran ◽  
Regina Mara Fisberg

This study aimed to develop a diet quality index (DQI-a) adjusted for energy requirement. Dietary intake of adults was assessed using 24-hour food recall. The DQI was developed for scores evenly distributed across ten items characterizing different aspects of diet: food groups, nutrients, and variety. The components categorized under the food groups from the Dietary Guide for Brazilians were adjusted according to the estimated energy requirements of the population studied. Index consistency and correlation with nutrients of the diet was analyzed by Cronbach's alpha. A total of 737 individuals were assessed and energy requirements ranged from 1,800 to 2,500kcal among women and 2,500 to 3,400kcal in men. The food group with greatest variation in total portions was cereals and tubers. Cronbach's alpha of the DQI-a was 0.643 and the index correlated with most of the nutrients. The DQI-a can be considered a valuable instrument for assessing diet quality of the Brazilian population.


2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep A. Tur ◽  
Dora Romaguera ◽  
Antoni Pons

The aim of this study was to assess whether the recently developed Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) could be used to evaluate diet quality of a Mediterranean population. A cross-sectional nutritional survey was carried out in the Balearic Islands (Spain) between 1999 and 2000. Dietary information (replicated 24 h recall and a food frequency questionnaire), and socio-demographic and lifestyle data were collected from a representative sample of the population (n 1200: 498 males and 702 females) aged 16–65 years (response rate 77·22 %). The DQI-I was developed according to the method defined by Kim et al. (2003), and focused on four major aspects of a high-quality diet (variety, adequacy, moderation and overall balance). The percentage of adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) was also calculated and correlation analysis was carried out between the DQI-I score and the percentage of adherence to the MDP. The total score of the DQI-I reached 43 % of the possible score, indicating that the Balearic diet was a poor-quality diet. Correlation analysis between the DQI-I scores and adherence to the MDP showed that the DQI-I subcategories protein, iron and calcium adequacy were negatively correlated with the MDP. Furthermore, moderation in empty calorie food consumption and overall balance subcategories were not significantly correlated with the MDP. Due to some methodological factors and cultural biases, the proposed DQI-I scoring system is not useful to evaluate the quality of this Mediterranean-type diet. Further research is needed to develop a new diet quality index adapted to the MDP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lívia Castro Crivellenti ◽  
Daniela Cristina Candelas Zuccolotto ◽  
Daniela Saes Sartorelli

Abstract Objectives: to investigate the relationship between the Diet Quality Index Adapted for Pregnant Women (IQDAG) and excess maternal body weight. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 754 adult pregnant women, in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, between 2011 and 2012. The criteria proposed by Atalah were used to classify the body mass index (BMI). Adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were employed to investigate the relationship between the IQDAG and being overweight and obese, estimating the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI95%). Results: the mean (SD) age of women was 28 (5) years, 33.4% were overweight and 25.6% obese. The pregnant women with higher scores in the IQDAG were less likely to be overweight [OR= 0.56 (CI95% = 0.37-0.85)] or obese [0.43 (0.26-0.71)]; those with higher scores in the "Fiber" [0.51 (0.33; 0.78)] and "Iron" [0.62 (0.40-0.96)] components were less likely to be overweight. However, women with higher scores in the percentage of energy from ultra-processed foods were more likely to be overweight [1.72 (1.10-2.94)] or obese [5.24 (2.80-9.80)], when compared to women with lower scores. Conclusions: poorer quality maternal diets were observed among the women who were overweight and obese during pregnancy.


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