Table 3.

DQI-International (DQI-I) components and criteria used for maximum score and zero score (n = 235).

Components	Score	Scoring criteria	Mean ± SD
DQI-I, total	0–100	—	58.2 ± 7.34
Variety	0–20	—	19.77 ± 0.77
Overall food group variety	0–15	≥1 serving from each food group/d = 15	14.88 ± 0.64
		Any 1 food group missing/d = 12
		Any 2 food groups missing/d = 9
		Any 3 food groups missing/d = 6
		≥4 food groups missing/d = 3; none = 0
Within-group variety for protein source	0–5	≥3 different sources/d = 5; 2 different sources/d = 3; from 1 source/d = 1; none = 0	4.88 ± 0.46
Adequacy	0–40		25.98 ± 5.53
Vegetable group	0–5	≥3–5 servings/d = 5; 0 servings/d = 0	1.42 ± 2.26
Fruit group	0–5	≥2–4 servings/d = 5; 0 servings/d = 0	1.00 ± 2.01
Grain group	0–5	≥6–11 servings/d = 5; 0 servings/d = 0	4.03 ± 1.98
Fiber	0–5	≥20–30 g/d = 5; 0 g/d = 0	3.53 ± 2.28
Protein	0–5	≥10% of energy/d = 5; 0% of energy/d = 0	4.90 ± 0.10
Iron	0–5	≥100% of RDA(AI)/d = 5; 0% of RDA(AI)/d = 0	4.98 ± 0.26
Calcium	0–5	≥10% of AI/d = 5; 0% of AI/d = 0	4.97 ± 0.32
Vitamin C	0–5	≥100% of RDA(RNI)/d = 5; 0% of RDA(RNI)/d = 0	4.70 ± 0.80
Moderation	0–30		12.45 ± 4.35
Total fat	0–6	≤20% of total energy (TE)/d = 6; >20–30% of TE/d = 3; >30% of TE/d = 0	3.13 ± 2.09
Saturated fat	0–6	≤7% of TE/d = 6; >7–10% of TE/d = 3; >10% of TE/d = 0	1.06 ± 0.71
Cholesterol	0–6	≤300 mg/d = 6; >300–400 mg/d = 3; >400 mg/d = 0	5.41 ± 1.48
Sodium	0–6	≤2,400 mg/d = 6; >2,400–3,400 mg/d = 3; >3,400 mg/d = 0	0.87 ± 1.80
Empty calorie foods	0–6	3% of TE/d = 6; >3–10% of TE/d = 3; >10% of TE/d = 0	3.04 ± 2.47
Overall balance	0–10		0.61 ± 1.71
Macronutrient ratio	0–6	55–65 : 10–15 : 15–25 = 6; 52–68:9–16 : 13–27 = 4; 50–70:8–17 : 12–30 = 2; otherwise = 0	0.25 ± 1.21
Fatty acid ratio	0–4	P/S = 1–1.5 and M/S = 1–1.5 = 4; else if P/S = 0.8–1.7 and M/S = 0.8–1.7 = 2; otherwise = 0	0.36 ± 1.11

AI, adequate intake; d, day; M, monounsaturated fatty acid; P, polyunsaturated fatty acid, RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowances; S, saturated fatty acid; TE, total energy.