Table 1.
Diet Quality Index—International (DQI-I) components and scoring system *.
| DQI-I Component | Scoring Criteria | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Variety Overall food group intake variety |
5 food groups: Meat/poultry/fish/egg; Dairy/beans; Grains; Fruits; Vegetables. Each food group is awarded 0–3 points based on servings eaten per day: ≥1 serving/day (svg/d) = 3 pts; 0 svg/d = 0 pt |
0–20 pts 0–15 |
| Within-group variety for protein source | 6 protein sources: Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dairy, Beans, Eggs ≥3 sources consumed: 5 pts 2 sources consumed: 3 pts. 1 source consumed: 1 pt 0 source consumed: 0 pt |
0–5 |
| Adequacy | Adequacy in intake of the following 8 groups based on age-and-gender-specific recommendations: For each of the adequacy groups, 0–5 pts are awarded depending on DGA 2020–2025 recommended svg/d or percentage of RDA met. | 0–40 pts |
| Vegetables: ≥2.5 svg/d = 5 pts; 0 svg/d = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Fruits: ≥2 svg/d = 5 pts; 0 svg/d = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Grain: ≥6 oz/d = 5 pts; 0 oz/d = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Fiber: Females: ≥25.0 g/day (g/d) = 5 pts; Males: ≥31 g/d = 5 pts; <0.5/g for Males or Females = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Protein: Females: ≥46.0 g/d = 5 pts; Males: ≥52 g/d = 5 pts; <0.5/g for Males or Females = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Iron: Females: ≥15.0 milligrams/day (mg/d) = 5 pts, <0.3 mg/d = 0; Males: ≥11 mg/d = 5 pts; <0.22 mg/d = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Calcium: ≥1300.0 mg/d = 5 pts; < 26.0 mg = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Vitamin C: Females: ≥65.0 mg/d = 5 pts, <1.3 mg/d = 0; Males: ≥75.0 mg/d = 5 pts; <1.5 mg/d = 0 pt | 0–5 | |
| Moderation | For each of the 5 moderation groups, 0–6 pts are awarded depending on percentage of RDA met | 0–30 pts |
| Total fat: ≤25% of total energy/d = 6 pts; >25–35% of total energy/d = 3 pts; >35% of total energy/d = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Saturated fat:<7% of total energy/d = 6 pts; >7–10% of total energy/d = 3 pts; >10% of total energy/d = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Cholesterol:≤300.0 mg/d = 6 pts; >300–400 mg/d = 3 pts; >400.0 mg/d = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Sodium:≤2300 mg/d = 6 pts; >2300–3300 mg/d = 3 pts; >3300 mg/d = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Empty calorie foods:≤3% total energy/d = 6 pts; >3–10% of total energy = 3 pts; >10% of total energy = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Balance | Balance in the intake of energy from macronutrients ratio is given 0–6 pts, and ratio of the unsaturated to saturated fatty acids is given 0–4 pts. | 0–10 pts |
| Macronutrient ratio (carbohydrate: protein: fat): 55.0–65.0: 10.0–15.0: 15.0–25.0 = 6 pts; 52.0–68.0: 9.0–16.0:13.0–27.0 = 4 pts; 50.0–70.0: 8.0–17.0: 12.0–30.0 = 2 pts; else = 0 pt | 0–6 | |
| Fatty acid ratio (PUFA:MUFA:SFA): both P/S and M/S are 1.0–1.5 = 4 pts; both P/S and M/S are 0.8–1.7 = 2 pts; else = 0 pt | 0–4 | |
| TOTAL DQI-I | Variety + Adequacy + Moderation + Balance | 0–100 pts |
* Adapted from INDDEX Project, 2018 (https://inddex.nutrition.tufts.edu/data4diets, accessed on 16 July 2021) and Kim et al., 2003 [19]. Italics help distinguish them as variables. pts: points.