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

Abstract

Data on diet quality in Croatian university students have been missing for more than 15?years. A food approach rather than a nutrient approach appears more appropriate to present knowledge on diet and health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate diet quality in Croatian university students (n = 663) with the Mediterranean Dietary Quality Index (M-DQI) in continental and Mediterranean regions. The M-DQI was determined with a Quantified Food Frequency Questionnaire. The minimum score for the M-DQI is 0 and the maximum score is 14. A higher score indicates a less healthy diet. The score for the M-DQI was the same in both regions (9.6) and did not differ significantly. In the category for scores 8-14 were 84.0% and 84.6% of students in the continental and Mediterranean regions, respectively. Higher correlation for the M-DQI was observed with macronutrient intakes than with micronutrient intakes. The M-DQI did not correlate with trans-fatty acid intake. A significant correlation (negative) with lycopene was observed in the Mediterranean region only. The body mass index did not correlate with the M-DQI. Students from both regions, continental and Mediterranean, had a lower diet quality evaluated with the M-DQI, with no significant difference according to region.

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

“…Consistent with the findings of others, our results showed that energy intake did not correlate with M-DQI, and correlation with macronutrients and micronutrients indicates healthful intakes for lower scores of the M-DQI (29,38) . For example, carotenoids, folic acid and vitamin C are Mean values were significantly different from those of men (one-way ANOVA) or significant r value: *P , 0?05, **P , 0?01, ***P , 0?001.…”

“…However, such biomarkers have not been used to describe dietary patterns until recently (25,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) . The M-DQI, applied in representative samples of the French (37) and the Croatian population (38) , has not yet been applied to a Spanish Mediterranean population.…”

Dietary Patterns of Female University Students: With Nutrition Education

“…We do not know whether these findings can be generalized to men; however, data suggest that women tend to have healthier dietary patterns (15,20,24,27,35,36) and higher Mediterranean diet scores than do men (15,20,27,36). Furthermore, no sociodemographic or physiological information was collected for this study.…”

“…The importance of nutrition knowledge in the moderation of dietary intake differs markedly between and even within individuals, depending upon the context (33). Thus, in addition to nutrition education, a number of other individual and collective factors likely influenced students' dietary patterns, including food preferences (22,34), their sex (11,15,20,21,24,27,35,36), perceived (and actual) food accessibility (22), time (37), geography (15,19), self-efficacy (22), living conditions (e.g., residing at home or away from home) (15), finances (37), and behavioural modelling (22).…”

“…Young adults who are transitioning from living with their parents to living away from home while attending postsecondary institutions may be at increased risk of developing unhealthy dietary behaviours. Studies from the United States (11)(12)(13) and Europe (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) indicate that the diets of many university students (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) and adolescents (22)(23)(24) do not conform to dietary recommendations, which may place these groups at increased risk of obesity and chronic disease (25). Knowledge of a healthy diet is one of the most important determinants of food choice (26) and predicts adherence to a healthy diet in adolescents (23,26).…”