Diet quality indexes for use during pregnancy: a scoping review

Abstract

Aims High diet quality is related to better health outcomes in general. During pregnancy, a high-quality diet is of paramount importance to promote optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes. This is a scoping review of research available on diet quality indexes (DQIs) for use during pregnancy that summarizes the DQIs in terms of development, country of origin, population used, components, scoring and weighting of components, and evaluation. Furthermore, the DQIs are discussed narratively to inform and direct the development of improved and country-specific DQIs for pregnancy. Methods The EBSCOhost database was used to identify English-language, peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2023, from which 11 publications were identified that describe the development of pregnancy-specific DQIs. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews model. Results Almost all DQIs (n = 9 of 11) were developed in high-income countries, using dietary intake data from food frequency questionnaires. Several DQIs (n = 5 of 11) used the US Healthy Eating Index as basis and modified it in various ways. Almost all DQIs included both foods and nutrients as components (n = 9 of 11), with vegetables being the most commonly included component alone (n = 8 of 11) or combined with fruit (n = 2 of 11). Conclusion Because most DQIs were developed using dietary guidelines, recommendations, and dietary intake data from high-income countries, it is recommended that pregnancy-specific DQIs be developed and validated to reflect the nutrition guidelines for lower-income and culturally diverse countries.

Adherence to HEI-2010 and odds of breast cancer according to the menopause status: Evidence from Middle Eastern Country

“…Overall, poor diet quality has been suggested as a main risk factor for BC [ 7 ]. To assess diet quality, Healthy Eating Index (HEI) had been developed by the USDA, and was then updated based on the Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines [ 8 , 9 ]. The original HEI-2010 was consists of 12 components including nine adequacy components [whole fruit, total fruit, whole grains, dairy, total protein foods, seafood & plant proteins, greens & beans, total vegetables, fatty acids] and three moderation component [refined grains, sodium, empty calories] [ 10 , 11 ].…”