Appendix.
Components and scoring criteria for the Diet Quality Index – International (DQI-I)a, adapted from Kim et al. (29).
| Component | Maximum score | Scoring criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Variety | ||
| Overall food group variety (meat/poultry/fish/eggs; dairy/beans; grain; fruit; vegetable) | 15 | 15: ≥1 serving/day from each food group 12: Any 1 food group missing 9: Any 2 food groups missing 6: Any 3 food groups missing 3: ≥4 food groups missing 0: None from any food groups |
| Within-group variety for protein source (meat, poultry, fish, dairy, beans, eggs) | 5 | 5: Meaningful consumption (≥0.5 serving/day) from ≥3 different sources 3: 2 different sources 1: 1 source 0: None |
| Maximum score | 20 | |
| Adequacyb | ||
| Vegetable group | 5 | 5: ≥3–5 servings/day 0: 0 servings/day |
| Fruit group | 5 | 5: ≥2–4 servings/day 0: 0 servings/day |
| Grain group | 5 | 5: ≥6–11 servings/day 0: 0 servings/day |
| Fiber | 5 | 5: ≥20–30 g/day 0: 0 g/day |
| Protein | 5 | 5: ≥10% of energy 0: 0% of energy |
| Iron | 5 | 5: ≥100% RDA 0: 0% RDA |
| Calcium | 5 | 5: ≥100% AI 0: 0% AI |
| Vitamin C | 5 | 5: ≥100% RDA 0: 0% RDA |
| Maximum score | 40 | |
| Moderation | ||
| Total fat | 6 | 6: ≤20% of total energy 3: >20–30% of total energy 0: >30% of total energy |
| Saturated fat | 6 | 6: ≤7% of total energy 3: >7–10% of total energy 0: >10% of total energy |
| Cholesterol | 6 | 6: ≤300 mg/day 3: >300–400 mg/day 0: >400 mg/day |
| Sodium | 6 | 6: ≤2400 mg/day 3: >2400–3400 mg/day 0: >3400 mg/day |
| Empty calorie foodsc | 6 | 6: ≤3% of total energy 3: >3–10% of total energy 0: >10% of total energy |
| Maximum score | 30 | |
| Overall balance | ||
| Macronutrient ratio (carbohydrate: protein: fat) | 6 | 6: 55–65: 10–15: 15–25 4: 52–<55 or >65–68: 9–<10 or >15–16: 13–<15 or >25–27 2: 50–<52 or >68–70: 8–<9 or >16–17: 12–<13 or >27–30 0: Otherwise |
| Fatty acid ratio | 4 | 4: P:S 1–1.5 and M:S 1–1.5 2: P:S 0.8–<1 or >1.5–1.7 and M:S 0.8–<1 or >1.5–1.7 0: Otherwise |
| Maximum score | 10 | |
DQI-I, Diet Quality Index-International; RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowance; AI, Adequate Intake; P:S, ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid intake; M:S, ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid intake.
All sub-scores coded as continuous. Recommended intake of food groups depending on three levels of energy intake (≤1900 kcal, 1900–2500 kcal, and > 2500 kcal). Nutrients evaluated by percentage attainment of dietary recommended intakes (40–43).
Defined as foods for which sum of nutrient densities across 15 nutrients (protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, niacin, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc) is <1. Nutrient density calculated as (nutrient content/recommended nutrient intake)/(energy content/recommended energy intake) (29). Recommended nutrient intake levels varied by age. Recommended energy intake was based on level of physical activity reported by participant.