The development and evaluation of the Australian child and adolescent recommended food score: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundDiet quality tools have been developed to assess the adequacy of dietary patterns for predicting future morbidity and mortality. This study describes the development and evaluation of a brief food-based diet quality index for use with children at the individual or population level. The Australian Child and Adolescent Recommended Food Score (ACARFS) was developed to reflect adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and modelled on the approach of the US Recommended Food Score.MethodsThe ACARFS has eight sub-scales and is scored from zero to 73. The diet quality score was evaluated by assessing correlation (Spearman’s correlations) and agreement (weighted κ statistics) between ACARFS scores and nutrient intakes, derived from a food frequency questionnaire in 691 children (mean age 11.0, SD 1.1) in New South Wales, Australia. Nutrient intakes for ACARFS quartiles were compared with the relevant Australian nutrient reference values.ResultsACARFS showed slight to substantial agreement (κ 0.13-0.64) with nutrient intakes, with statistically significant moderate to strong positive correlations with all vitamins, minerals and energy intake (r = 0.42-0.70). ACARFS was not related to BMI.Participants who scored less than the median ACARFS were more likely to have sub-optimal intakes of fibre, folic acid and calcium.ConclusionACARFS demonstrated sufficient accuracy for use in future studies evaluating diet quality. Future research on its utility in targeting improvements in the nutritional quality of usual eating habits of children and adolescents is warranted.

Development of a Dietary Index to Assess Overall Diet Quality for Chinese School-Aged Children: The Chinese Children Dietary Index

“…The Chinese Children Dietary Index score was observed to be related not only to the foods/food groups and nutrients incorporated into the index, but also to other essential nutrients, such as protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and riboflavin. These correlation coefficients were consistent with diet indices developed for children in western countries 8,16,24 and in Indian girls who were vegetarian. 33 These results revealed that the Chinese Children Dietary Index can be used as a valuable SSB¼sugar-sweetened beverage.…”

“…Nearly 30 dietary indices including nutrients, foods/food groups, or a combination of both have been developed or modified for children from the United States (toddlers, 2 to 18 years), [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Australia (infants, toddlers, 4 to 16 years), [14][15][16][17][18] To take the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) quiz for this article, log in to www.eatrightPRO.org, go to the My Account section of the My Academy Toolbar, click the "Access Quiz" link, click "Journal Article Quiz" on the next page, and then click the "Additional Journal CPE quizzes" button to view a list of available quizzes. CPE quizzes are available for 1 year after the issue date in which the articles are published.…”

Validity of Nutrient Intakes Derived from an Internet Website Dish-Based Dietary Record for Self-Management of Weight among Japanese Women

“…The degree of agreement between individual nutrient intakes was tested using weighted kappa coefficients [16] and Bland–Altman plots [15]. For the weighted kappa coefficients, linear weights were calculated, following previous studies [17,18]. The limit of agreement, which indicates the limit of significant difference in the Bland–Altman plot, was set to 1.96 times the standard deviation of the difference between the DR and WDDR [19].…”

Lifestyle Risk Factors for Weight Gain in Children with and without Asthma

“…This indicates that in those children with a greater sleep duration, dietary patterns are more closely aligned with the National Dietary Guidelines for Australian Children and Adolescents, reflecting a more optimum nutrient intake [21]. In agreement, recent studies in non-asthmatic children have indicated that increased sleep duration is associated with better dietary practices, including higher fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced soda consumption [32,33].…”

“…Dietary intake was assessed using the validated food frequency questionnaire, the Australian Child & Adolescent Eating Questionnaire [20]. From this questionnaire, a diet quality score was derived, the Australian Recommended Food Score (Child and Adolescent) [21]. Time spent in physical activity per week (min) and average metabolic equivalent value were calculated using the Adolescent Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire [22].…”