Table 3.
Diet quality scores in youth aged 16–24 years who follow different dietary practices (n 165)
| All n 165 | Vegans n 19 | Lacto-ovo vegetarians n 20 | Pescatarians n 30 | Flexitarians n 25 | Omnivores n 71 | P-value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | 25th, 75th § | Median | 25th, 75th § | Median | 25th, 75th § | Median | 25th, 75th § | Median | 25th, 75th § | Median | 25th, 75th § | ||
| Vegetables*,† | 8·0 | 6·0, 8·0 | 9·0ab | 8·0, 9·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 9·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 9·0 | 8·0ab | 6·0, 9·0 | 6·0cd | 4·0, 8·0 | 0·012 |
| Fruits and berries*,† | 6·0 | 4·0, 8·0 | 8·0 | 4·0, 10·0 | 4·0 | 4·0, 7·5 | 5·0 | 4·0, 8·5 | 6·0 | 4·0, 8·0 | 4·0 | 2·0, 8·0 | 0·092 |
| Whole grain foods*,† | 8·0 | 6·0, 8·0 | 8·0 | 4·0, 8·0 | 8·0 | 4·5, 10·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 8·5 | 8·0 | 8·0, 8·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 10·0 | 0·754 |
| Sugary foods*,† | 6·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 6·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 4·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 4·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 4·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 6·0 | 4·0, 6·0 | 0·758 |
| Sugar-sweetened beverages*,† | 8·0 | 4·0, 9·0 | 9·0ab | 6·0, 10·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 9·0 | 6·0 | 4·0, 8·3 | 9·0ab | 6·0, 10·0 | 6·0cd | 4·0, 9·0 | 0·018 |
| Beans and lentils*,† | 6·0 | 2·0, 8·0 | 9·0ab,eh | 8·0, 9·0 | 8·0ab | 6·0, 9·0 | 6·0ab,gh | 6·0, 8·0 | 6·0ab,gh | 4·0, 6·0 | 2·0cd | 0·0, 6·0 | < 0·001 |
| Nuts and seeds*,† | 2·0 | 1·0, 4·0 | 6·0ab | 2·0, 10·0 | 1·0cd | 0·0, 3·5 | 2·0cd | 1·0, 4·0 | 4·0cd | 0·5, 5·0 | 2·0cd | 0·0, 2·0 | 0·001 |
| Salty foods*,† | 6·0 | 6·0, 8·0 | 6·0 | 4·0, 8·0 | 6·0 | 4·5, 8·0 | 6 ·0 | 6·0, 8·0 | 6·0 | 4·0, 8·0 | 8·0 | 6·0, 8·0 | 0·631 |
| Total diet quality score*,‡ | 46·0 | 38·0, 54·0 | 56·0ab,eh | 48·0, 67·0 | 45·0ab | 42·0, 57·5 | 47·5ab,gh | 39·8, 53·3 | 49·0ab | 39·0, 56·0 | 42·0cd | 34·0, 48·0 | < 0·001 |
Test for difference using Kruskal–Wallis test with pairwise comparison with Bonferroni correction for multiple tests, significant difference indicated by unlike superscript (ab,cd,eh,gh).
Vegetables include salad, cabbage, carrot, green beans etc. (not potatoes or sweet potato); fruits include fruits and berries, including fresh, frozen and canned (not juice or smoothie); whole grain foods include unsweetened cereals and porridge, whole grain bread (>50 % whole grain), crisp bread, whole grain products (e.g. pasta, barley, couscous); sugary foods includes sweetened cereal and porridge, candy, including chocolate, waffles, buns, cake, biscuits, ice cream etc.; sugary beverages includes sugar-sweetened beverages and sugar-sweetened energy drinks (e.g. red bull); beans and lentils include beans, lentils, chickpeas (not green beans); nuts and seeds include unsalted nuts and seeds; salty foods include salty snacks (e.g. popcorn, chips, salty nuts).
Total diet quality score includes eight components of the diet quality score combined, maximum possible points 80.
25percentile, 75percentile.
Statistically significant values between the dietary practices < 0·05 are given in bold.