Table 4.

Identified diet quality indices from the literature for high-income countries, organized by region and country

Reference	Index	Theoretical basis	Country and target group	Components	Scoring system	Evaluationa
ASIA
Nishimura et al (2015)96	Food-based diet quality score for Japanese	Japanese food guide Spinning Top (2005)	Japan; adults	Grain dishes, vegetable dishes, fish and meat, milk, fruits, snacks and alcoholic beverages	6 components, servings or energy, range 0–60	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, metabolic risk factors, BMI, anthropometrics
Kuriyama et al (2016)81	Modified food-based diet quality score for Japanese	Japanese food guide Spinning Top (2005)	Japan; adults	Grain dishes, vegetable dishes, fish and meat, milk, fruits, snacks and alcoholic beverages, seasonings	7 components, servings or energy, range 0–70	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, food groups, original food-based diet quality score for Japanese
Lee et al (2008)84	Overall Dietary Index Revised (ODI-R)	Taiwanese Dietary Recommendations	Taiwan; adults	Grains/starchy tubers (whole grains), vegetables, fruits, eggs/soy/fish/meat (soybean, fish), dairy products, K/Na ratio, cholesterol, dietary moderation (refined sugars, Na, alcohol), dietary diversity.	9 components, score based on servings, E%, or amounts consumed, range 0–100	Nutrient intakes, other DQ score (ODI)
NORTH AMERICA
Jessri et al (2017)75	Healthy Eating Index–Canada 2010 (HEI-C 2010)	HEI-2010 and Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) 2007	Canada; children, adolescents, adults	Total fruit and vegetables, whole fruit, greens and beans, whole grains, dairy, total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins, FAs, refined grains, Na, empty calories	11 components, amount intake per 1000 kcal and E%, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, food groups, reliability, BMI
Woodruff and Hanning (2010)117	Canadian Healthy Eating Index (HEIC-2009)	Canada’s Food Guide recommendations (HEIC-2009)	Canada; children, adolescents	Grains, vegetables/fruits, milk, meat, other, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary variety	9 components, score based on servings and E%, range 0–100	Other DQ index (HEI-C)
Sharafi et al (2015)105	Healthy Eating Preference Index (HEPI)	Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010	USA; preschool children	High-fat/sweet/salty foods, fruits and vegetables, variety score	6 components, score based on liking scores, range −250 to 250	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, biomarker, other DQ score (HEI 2010), reliability
Anderson et al (2015)59	Healthy score and unhealthy score	Not specified	USA; preschool children	Healthy: fruits, vegetables, milk Unhealthy: SSB, fast food, sweets, salty snacks	Healthy/unhealthy score: 3 components / 4 components, both scores based on frequency, range 0–18/range 0–24	Food groups
Vadiveloo et al (2014)109	US Healthy Food Diversity (HFD) Index	2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and German algorithm	USA; adults	26 food groups, not specified	26 components, score based on proportion of the food eaten and a health factor, range 0–1	Sociodemographic factors, food groups, (mean) probability of nutrient adequacy, other DQ score (DASH diet score)
Guenther et al (2013)71	Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010	2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans	USA; children, adolescents, adults	Total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetables, greens and beans, whole grains, dairy, total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins, FAs, refined grains, Na, empty calories	12 components, amount intake per 1000 kcal and E%, range 0–100	Not described in this publication but for evaluation, see, for example, Guenther et al20 and Anic et al21
Lipsky et al (2012)87	Whole Plant Foods (WPF)	MyPyramid and Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion of Fruit and Fruit Juice	USA; children, adolescents, adults	Whole fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds	6 compounds, score based on amounts, or proportion of intake	Biomarker, biomarkers for CVD, diabetes, and inflammation, other DQ score (HEI-2005)
Rumawas et al (2009)103	Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score (MSDPS)	Mediterranean diet pyramid	USA; adults	Whole-grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy, wine, fish, poultry, olives/ legumes, nuts/potatoes, eggs, sweets, meats, olive oil	13 components, score based on servings, range 1–100	Sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, nutrient intakes, food groups
Falciglia et al (2009)65	Dietary variety score	US MyPyramid (2005)	USA; children	Number of foods and beverages consumed in 1 day based on servings	All foods and drinks consumed, score based on prediction equation	Reproducibility (3-day recall vs 15-day recall)
Guenther et al (2008)72	Healthy Eating Index–2005 (HEI-2005)	Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005	USA; children, adolescents, adults (not pregnant)	Total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetables, dark green and orange vegetables and legumes, total grains, whole grains, milk, meat and beans, oils, saturated fat, Na, calories from solid fats/alcoholic beverages/added sugars	12 components, score based on amounts consumed /1000 kcal, range 0–100	Not described in this article but for evaluation see, for example, Guenther et al18 and Grimstvedt et al19
Fung et al (2008)67	DASH-style diet	DASH diet	USA; women	Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy, red and processed meats, sweetened beverages, and Na	8 components, score based on quintiles of intake, range 8–40	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, food group, CHD, stroke, BMI
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
Gasser et al (2017)68	Dietary score	Australian Dietary Guidelines 2013	Australia; children	Fruits, vegetables, water, fatty foods, sugary foods, SSB, milk products or alternatives	7 components, frequency, range 0–14	Dietary patterns, change of food group trajectories over age
Roy et al (2016)101	Healthy Eating Index for Australian Adults (HEIF-2013)	Australian Dietary Guidelines 2013	Australia; young adults	Adequacy: vegetables, fruits, grain (cereal) foods, milk and milk alternatives, meat and protein food alternatives, water	11 components, score based on servings, range 0–100	Nutrient intakes, food groups, relative validity
				Limitation: discretionary foods high in saturated fat or added sugars, added salt, alcohol
Thorpe et al (2016)108	Dietary Guideline Index 3013 (DGI-2013)	Australian Dietary Guidelines 2013	Australia; adults	Adequacy: Food variety, vegetables, fruits, grain (cereal) foods, lean meat and poultry/fish/eggs/nuts/seeds/legumes/beans, milk/yogurt/cheese and alternatives, water	13 components, score based on servings or type of product, range 0–130	Sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, BMI
				Limitation: foods containing SFA/salt/sugars/alcohol, foods high in SFA, fatty foods, salty foods, sugary foods, alcohol
Taylor et al (2015)107	Healthy trolley index (HETI)	Australian Guide to Healthy Eating	Australia; adults	Grains/cereals, meat and alternatives, dairy foods and alternatives, fruit, vegetables, discretionary (eg, savory snacks, confectionery, SSB, alcohol, processed meat, baked goods)	6 components, score based on monthly food expenditure, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, foods/food groups, overweight/obesity
Zarrin et al (2013)118	Aussie_DQI	National dietary guidelines linked to the Australia National Health Priority Areas	Australia; adults	Vegetables, fruit, dairy products, meat and alternatives, cereals, E% SFA, E% sugar, alcohol, processed meat, added salt/Na, dietary variety (vegetables, fruits, wholegrain, fish)	11 components, score based on servings, E%, and amounts, range 0–120	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, food groups, BP, all-cause and cancer mortality, overweight, obesity
Spence et al (2013)106	Obesity Protective Dietary Index (OPDI)	Based on the intended trial outcomes	Australia; toddlers	Fruits, vegetables, noncore foods	3 components, score based on grams and KJ, range 0–30	Nutrient intakes, intervention vs control group of intervention
Scott et al (2012)104	Fruit and Vegetable Variety Score (FVVS)	Australian Guide to Healthy Eating	Australia; children	Vegetables, fruits	16 components, score based on consumption, range 0–16	Sociodemographic factors, breastfeeding
Scott et al (2012)104	Core Food Variety Score (CFVS)	Australian Guide to Healthy Eating	Australia; children	Milk/dairy, grains and grain products, vegetables, fruits, meat or other nondairy protein sources	34 components, score based on consumption, range 0–34	Sociodemographic factors, breastfeeding
Marshall et al (2012)93	Australian Child and Adolescent Recommended Food Score (ACARFS)	Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and US Recommended Food Score	Australia; children and adolescents	Vegetables, fruit, protein foods (meat/flesh), protein foods (meat/flesh alternatives), grains, dairy, water, extras	8 components, score based on frequency and servings, range 0–73	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes, nutrient reference values
Li et al (2012)86	Index of Diet Quality	Scientific literature and Australian recommendations	Australia; adolescents	Breads/cereals/rice/pasta/noodles, vegetables, fruit, milk/yoghurt/cheese, meat/fish/poultry/eggs/nuts/legumes, extra foods (soft drinks, chips etc.), vitamin C, vitamin A, dietary fiber, Fe, Ca, protein, total fat (%KJ), saturated fat (%KJ), n-6/n-3 FA ratio	15 components, score based on amounts consumed and E%, range 20–150	Sociodemographic factors
Golley et al (2011)69	Dietary Guideline Index for Children and Adolescents (DGI-CA)	Australian Dietary Guidelines 2003 for children and adolescents	Australia; children and adolescents	Fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals, whole-grain cereals, meat and alternatives, dairy foods, reduced-fat dairy, fluids, extra foods (nutrient poor and high in fat, salt, and added sugar), healthy fats/oils, diet variety	11 components, score based on servings, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, food groups, nutrient intakes
McNaughton et al (2008)94	Dietary Guideline Index (DGI)	Australian Guide to Healthy Eating	Australia; adults	Vegetables/legumes, fruit, total cereals, meat and alternatives, total dairy, beverages, Na, saturated fat, alcoholic beverages, added sugars, whole-grain cereals, lean meat, reduced/low fat dairy, dietary variety, extra foods	15 components, score based on servings, type or frequency, range 0–150	Sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, nutrient intakes, BP
Wong et al (2017)115	Healthy Dietary Habits Index (HDHI)	New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adults 2003	New Zealand; adults	Red meat, chicken, fish/shellfish, milk, spread, low-fat foods, fries, bread, fruit, vegetables, soft drinks, breakfast, fast foods, added salt, low-salt foods.	15 components, score based on frequencies, servings or type of product, range 0–60	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes, nutritional biomarkers
Wong et al (2014)114	Healthy Dietary Habits Score for Adolescents (HDHS-A)	Scientific literature and New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children and Young people	New Zealand; adolescents	Fat from meat/poultry/fish, other fats, fruit, vegetables and bread, sugar sources, meal habits	17 components grouped in 5 clusters, score based on frequency and servings, range 0–68	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes, biomarker, expert review, reliability
Wong et al (2013)116	New Zealand Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (NZDQI-A)	New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adolescents	New Zealand; adolescents	Fruits, vegetables, bread and cereals, milk and milk products, meat and alternatives	5 components, score based on servings and frequency, range 0–100	Nutrient intakes, reproducibility, reliability, relative validity
EUROPE
Freisling et al (2009)66	Food frequency index (FFI)	Austrian Food Based Dietary Guidelines	Austria; adults	Vegetables, fruits, whole-meal bread, pasta/rice, pulses, nuts, milk products, beef/pork, processed meats, poultry	10 components, score based on frequency, range 0–70	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes, biomarker, cholesterol
Vandevijvere et al (2010)110	Dietary diversity, dietary adequacy, dietary moderation, and dietary balance scores	Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG)	Belgium; adults	Water (including coffee, tea and broth), bread/cereals, grains and potatoes, vegetables, fruits, dairy products (including Ca-enriched soy products, excluding cheese), cheese, meat/fish/eggs/legumes/nuts/meat substitutes, spreadable fats, energy-dense nutrient-poor foods	4 scores, based on servings	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, scores are compared among each other
Huybrechts et al (2010)74	Diet Quality Index (DQI)	Flemish Dietary gGidelines 2004	Belgium; preschool children	Dietary diversity, dietary quality, dietary moderation, dietary adequacy, dietary equilibrium, meal index	6 components, score based on amounts and recommendations, range 25%–100%	Nutrient intakes, reproducibility, relative validity
Lazarou et al (2009)82	E-KINDEX	Not mentioned	Cyprus; children	Bread, cereals, and grain foods (excluding bread), fruit and fruit juices, vegetables, legumes, milk, fish and seafood, meat, salted and smoked meat food, sweets and snack items, soft drinks, fried food, grilled food	13 components, Score based on frequency, range 0–37	BP
Biltoft-Jensen et al (2008)60	Simple Diet Quality Index (SDQI)	Danish Dietary Guidelines, NNR 2004	Denmark; adults	Saturated fat, fiber	2 components, score based recommended intake, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, food groups, obesity, overweight
Meinilä et al (2016)95	Healthy Food Intake Index (HFII)	Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR)	Finland; pregnant women	Vegetables, fruits/berries, high-fiber grains, fish, low-fat milk, low-fat cheese, cooking fat, fat spread, snacks, SSB, fast food	11 components, frequencies, range 0–17	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes, reproducibility
Roytio et al (2015)102	Children’s Index of Diet Quality (CIDQ)	Nordic Nutrition Recommendations	Finland; children	Fiber, vegetables, fruits and berries, SFA, PUFA, saccharose, Ca	6 components, score based on E% and gram intake, range 0–21	BMI, nutrient intakes, biomarker, se/sp analysis
Kanerva et al (2014)77	Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS)	Baltic Sea Diet Pyramid	Finland; adults	Fruits and berries, vegetables, cereals, low-fat milk, fish, meat products, total fat, fat ratio (PUFA to SFA + trans fatty acids), alcohol.	9 components, score based on quartiles, range 0–25; or score based on median, range 0–9	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, nutrient intakes
Leppala et al (2010)85	Index of Diet Quality (IDQ)	Nordic Nutrition Recommendations and Finish Nutrition Recommendations	Finland; adults	Whole-grain products, fat-containing foods, dairy products, vegetables/ fruits/berries, sugar, meal pattern	6 components, score based on frequency, range 0–15	Nutrient intakes, se/sp analysis, BMI
Estaquio et al (2008)64	French Score of Indicators of the PNNS Objectives (FSIPO)	Program Nutritional Nutrition Santé	France; adults	Fruits/vegetables, Ca, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate consumption, complex carbohydrates, simple sugars, fiber, alcohol, cholesterol level, SBP, BMI, physical activity	13 components, score based on servings or RDA or %E intake, range 0–17.5	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, biomarkers, NCDs
Kleiser et al (2009)78	Healthy Nutrition Score for Kids and Youth (HuSKY)	OMD recommendations	Germany; children and adolescents	Beverages, vegetables, fruit, fish, bread/ cereals, pasta/rice/potatoes, milk/dairy products, eggs, fats, meat/ sausages, sweets/fatty snacks/soft drinks	11 components, score based on the proportion to recommended intake, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, biomarkers
Manios et al (2015)91	Revised Healthy Lifestyle-Diet Index (R-HLD-Index)	USDA’s Choose My Plate recommendations	Greece; children and adolescents	Fruits, vegetables, grains, milk/dairy products, meat/meat products, fish/seafood, legumes, eggs, soft drinks, sweets, physical activity status, time spend on moderate to vigorous physical activity	12 components, score based on servings and time spent on activity, range 0–48	overweight, obesity, iron deficiency
Manios et al (2010)90	Healthy Lifestyle-Diet Index (HLD-Index)	MyPyramid, American Academy of Pediatrics	Greece; children	Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, meat, fish/seafood, soft drinks, sweets, physical activity, screen time	10 components, score based on servings and time spent on activity, range 0–40	Nutrient intakes, insulin resistance, estimated average requirements
Manios et al (2010)89	Preschoolers Diet-Lifestyle Index (PDL-Index)	USDA food guide pyramid, Canada’s Food Guide, American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics	Greece; preschool children	Fruits, vegetables, total grains, dairy products, red meat, white meat/ legumes, fish/seafood, unsaturated fats, sweets, physical activity, screen time	11 components, score based on servings and time spent on activity, range 0–44	Nutrient intakes, food groups, estimated average requirements, obesity, overweight
Kourlaba et al (2009)80	Elderly Dietary Index (EDI)	Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults and features of the Mediterranean diet	Greece; elderly	Meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, olive oil, alcohol, type of bread, dairy products	10 components, score based on frequency, range 10–40	Sociodemographic factors, food groups, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes
Kosti et al (2009)79	Diet-Lifestyle Index	Scientific literature	Greece; adolescents	Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, sweets/added sugars, breakfast cereals, dairy products, sports activities, sedentary behavior, consumption of breakfast, eating away from home, number of eating episodes a day, visible fat consumption, obesity status of parents	13 components, score based on servings, type or behavior, range 11–57	Sociodemographic factors, obesity, overweight
Perry et al (2015)98	Diet Quality Score (DQS)	Irish guidelines	Ireland; children	Fruit, fruit juice, meat/chicken/fish, eggs, cooked vegetables, raw vegetables, meat pie/hamburger/hot dog/sausage, hot chips or french fries, crisps/savory snacks, bread, potatoes/pasta/rice, cereals, biscuits/doughnut/cake/pie/chocolate, cheese/yoghurt/fromage frais, low fat cheese/low fat yogurt, water, soft drinks (not diet), soft drinks (diet), full-cream milk and products, skimmed milk and products	20 components, score based on frequency, range 12–28	Sociodemographic factors, food groups, obesity/ overweight
Looman et al (2017)88	Dutch Healthy Diet Index 2015 (DHD15-Index)	Dutch Dietary Guidelines 2015	The Netherlands; adults	Vegetables, fruit, whole-grain products, legumes, nuts, dairy, fish, tea, fats and oils, coffee, red meat, processed meat, SSsB and fruit juices, alcohol, salt	15 components, grams per day, range 0–150	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, relative validity
Lee et al (2012)83	Dutch Healthy Diet Index (DHD-Index)	Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet 2006	The Netherlands; adults	Physical activity, vegetables, fruit / fruit juices, fiber, fish, SFA, TFA, acid drinks and foods, Na, alcohol	10 components, score based on activities, grams or E%, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, food groups, nutrient intakes
Voortman et al (2015)113	Diet Quality Score (DQS)	National and international guidelines and scientific literature	The Netherlands; toddlers	Vegetables, fruit, bread/cereals, rice/ pasta/potatoes/ legumes, dairy, meat/ eggs, fish, oils/fats, candy/snacks, SSBs	10 components, score based on intake in grams and adjusted for energy intake, range 0–10	Sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, BMI (NS), nutrient intakes
Jonge et al (2015)76	Bone Mineral Density (BMD) diet score	Scientific literature	The Netherlands; elderly	Vegetables, fruits, dairy products, whole grain products, fish/seafood, legumes/ beans, meat, confectionary	8 components, score based on quartiles, range 8–24	Sociodemographic factors, biomarker, anthropometrics, NCDs, bone mineral density, other DQ score (HDI)
Jonge et al (2015)76	Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) (adapted from Jankovic et al119)	WHO dietary guidelines 2003	The Netherlands; elderly	SFA, mono- and disaccharides, cholesterol, trans fat, Na, PUFA, protein, total fat, n-6 PUFA, n-3 PUFA, dietary fiber, fruits/vegetables	12 components, score based on grams intake, range 0–120	Bone Mineral Density
Hillesund et al (2014)73	New Nordic Diet (NND) Score	Guidelines of the NND	Norway; women (mothers)	Meal pattern, Nordic fruit consumption, root vegetables, cabbages, potatoes, whole grain breads, oatmeal porridge, food from the wild countryside, milk, water	10 components, score based on frequency and type, range 0–10	Sociodemographic factors, food groups, nutrient intakes, BMI, pregnancy outcomes
Rodríguez-Martin et al (2017)100	EVIDENT diet quality index	Scientific literature	Spain; adults	Adequacy: Low-fat dairy, poultry, rabbit, fish, dark-yellow vegetables, green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, other vegetables, gazpacho, potatoes, fruits, fresh fruit juice, beans/lentils/chickpeas, whole-grain bread/rice/cereal/pasta, olive oil, green/black tea, red wine, beer	36 components, frequency per week/day, range 0–100	Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, nutrient intake, food groups, Mediterranean diet, CVD risk, BP, anthropometrics, pulse wave velocity
				Limiting: whole-fat dairy, ice cream, red meat, processed meat, pizza, fried potatoes, salty snack foods, added fats/ oils, butter, sweet breads, desserts, added sweets, precooked meals, sauce (ketchup, mayonnaise), honey, jam, soda, bottled juices
Mariscal-Arcas et al (2009)92	Mediterranean Diet Index for pregnant women (MDS-P)	Mediterranean diet and specific needs during pregnancy based on scientific literature	Spain; pregnant women	Vegetables, fruits/nuts, pulses, cereals, fish, MUFA/SFA ratio, meat, dairy products, Fe, Ca, folic acid	11 components, scored based on RDI, range 0–11	Anthropometrics, nutrient intakes, food groups, pregnancy outcomes
Drake et al (2011)63	Diet Quality Index–Swedish Nutrition Recommendations (DQI-SNR)	Swedish Nutrition Recommendations (SNR) and the Swedish Dietary Guidelines (SDG)	Sweden; adults	SFA, PUFA, fish and shellfish, dietary fiber, fruit and vegetables, sucrose	6 components, score based on intake in weights and E%, range 0–6	Sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, food groups, nutrient intakes, BP and NCDs
Cleghorn et al (2016)61	Dietary quality score (DQS)	WHO/FAO expert consultation group 2003	UK; adults	Fruit, vegetable, oily fish, nonmilk extrinsic sugar, fat	5 components, servings or gram per day, range 0–15	Relative validity, foods
Verger et al (2015)112	Probability of Adequate Nutrient Intake (PANDiet) score (updated)	United Kingdom nutritional recommendations	UK; young children	Protein, total carbohydrates, non-milk extrinsic sugars, total fat, SFA, PUFA, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, Ca, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, Fe, copper, selenium, iodine, Na	25 nutrients, scored based on adequacy probability, range 0–100	Sociodemographic factors, food groups, consumption of infant formula/foods
Pot et al (2014)99	Eating Choices Index (ECI)	Based on NSHD consumption data and discussion with researchers	UK; adults	Consumption of breakfast, consumption of 2 portions of fruit per day, type of milk consumed, type of bread consumed	4 components, score based on frequency and type, range 4–20	Sociodemographic factors, nutrient intakes, overweight, obesity
Golley et al (2012)70	Complementary Feeding Utility Index (CFUI)	Complementary feeding guidelines of Australia, New Zealand, USA, and UK	UK; infants	Breastfeeding duration, feeding on demand, timing of introduction to solids, exposure to Fe-rich cereals, fruit, vegetables, protein foods variety, exposure to sugary drinks, exposure to confectionary, cakes, savory snacks, cow milk introduction, exposure to tea, timing of lumpy food intro, exposure to commercial infant foods, daily meal/snack frequency.	14 components, score based on probability function, range 0–1	Sociodemographic factors, BMI, food group, nutrient intake, feeding behavior
Crombie et al (2009)62	Diet quality score	Caroline Walker Trust, Eat Well plate	UK; women (mothers)	Bread/other cereals/potatoes, fruit/ vegetables, dairy products, meat/ fish/ alternatives, high-fat/ high-sugar snacks	5 components, score based on daily portions, range 0–5	Maternal knowledge and views
Oliveira et al (2015)97	Healthy Plate Variety Score	Modified version of food variety index for toddlers	Portugal, UK, France; children	Starchy foods (including potatoes), fruits, vegetables, meat/fish/alternatives, dairy foods	5 components, score based on servings, range 0–5	Children’s eating behavior
Vereecken et al (2008)111	Fruit and vegetable index, fiber index, calcium index, variety index, excess index, short excess index	Not mentioned	Belgium and Italy; children	Fruit and vegetable index, fiber index (FV and brown bread), Ca index (whole-fat milk, semi-skimmed milk, cheese, and other milk products), variety index (combination of fiber index and Ca index), excess index (carbonated sugared soft drinks, sweets, chips, crisps), short excess index (soft drinks, sweets)	Not specified	Nutrient intakes, reproducibility, relative validity

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; Ca, calcium; CHD, coronary heart disease; CVD, cardiovascular disease; DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; DQ, diet quality; EVIDENT, Estilos de vida y disfunción endotelial; E%, percentage of energy; FA, fatty acid; FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; Fe, iron; FV, food variety; HEI, Healthy Eating Index; K, potassium; %KJ, percentage of kilojoule; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; Na, sodium; NCD, noncommunicable disease; NS, not significant; NSHD, The Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development; OMD, optimized mixed diet; PNNS, Program Nutritional Nutrition Santé; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowance; RDI, Recommended Dietary Intake; SBP, systolic blood pressure; se/sp analysis, sensitivity/specificity analysis; SFA, saturated fatty acids; SSB, sugar-sweetened beverage; TFA, total fatty acid; USDA, United States Agency for International Development; WHO, World Health Organization of the United Nations.

^aSome diet quality indices are more extensively evaluated and described in additional publications; however, our review search was not specifically set up for such validation studies, and thus articles describing such validation studies are not included in our review.