Lecture 14: How good is this group's diet?

Question 1

What is the aim of food based dietary guidelines?

Answer 1

Aim is to promote overall health, control specific nutritional diseases and reduce the risk of multifactorial diet-related diseases

Question 2

Food based dietary guidelines are specific to country’s…

Answer 2

• Ecological setting
• Sociodemographic profile
• Customary dietary patterns

Question 3

What type of food based dietary guidelines does NZ have?

Answer 3

• Healthy Eating Guidelines
• Activity Guidelines
• Healthy Plate Model

Question 4

Why are food pyramids no longer used?

Answer 4

Top was supposed to be the worst (least in your diet) but being at the top gives the idea they are the BEST

Question 5

What are FBDGs?

Answer 5

Food based dietary guidelines

Question 6

What are examples of FBDG’s used to asses diets?

Answer 6

• Healthy Eating Index (HEI)
• Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI)
• Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS)
• Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension score (DASH)

Question 7

What are the general principles of diet quality scores?

Answer 7

• Translate key components of the dietary guidelines into specific quantifiable criteria
• Assign score based on extent to which criterion is met
• May then apply cutoffs to define “good” diet

Question 8

What is the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)?

Answer 8

Diet quality is defined based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Assesses diet not supplement intake

Question 10

What are the guiding principles for the Healthy Eating Index?

Answer 10

• Dietary quality on quantity (a density based approach)
• No single food is essential for a perfect score
• Limit the number of components
• Make the algorithm as simple as possible

Question 11

How do you get a good Healthy Eating Index score?

Answer 11

• ranges from 0 to 100
• evaluates diet quality based on 13 components that represent different aspects of a healthy diet
• split into adequacy components (foods you should eat more of) and moderation components (foods you should limit).

Question 12

How do you read relative risk scores?

Answer 12

there is no association at all if it crosses over the value of 1 (no difference)
- If it doesn’t cross one it is relevant
- Over 1 = higher risk
- Below 1 = lower risk

Question 13

What are the limitations of diet quality scores?

Answer 13

• Don’t take into account total energy intake
• Describe overall diet but not risk of specific nutrient inadequacy
• Country specific
• Updates required when FBDGs change

Question 14

Some diet quality scores show associations with…

Answer 14

Chronic disease outcomes