TABLE 4.
Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 total score and sub-scores in US children and adults by breakfast status, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–2018.
| Children 2–18 years | Adults ≥ 19 years | ||||||||
| Maximum score | RTEC breakfast | Non-RTEC breakfast | No breakfast | P-value | RTEC breakfast | Non-RTEC Breakfast | No Breakfast | P-value | |
| (n = 612) | (n = 1,190) | (n = 457) | (n = 516) | (n = 3119) | (n = 1141) | ||||
| Total vegetables | 5 | 2.0 ± 0.1a | 2.1 ± 0.1a | 2.2 ± 0.1a | 0.2354 | 3.2 ± 0.1a | 3.1 ± 0.1a | 3.1 ± 0.1a | 0.5326 |
| Greens and beans | 5 | 1.1 ± 0.2a | 1.0 ± 0.1a | 1.0 ± 0.1a | 0.7717 | 1.9 ± 0.2ab | 1.9 ± 0.1a | 1.4 ± 0.1b | 0.0006 |
| Total fruits | 5 | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 0.9999 | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 5.0 ± 0.0a | 0.3854 |
| Whole fruit | 5 | 2.4 ± 0.2a | 2.4 ± 0.1a | 2.1 ± 0.2a | 0.1603 | 2.9 ± 0.1a | 2.3 ± 0.1b | 1.7 ± 0.1c | <0.0001 |
| Whole grains | 10 | 4.1 ± 0.3a | 2.6 ± 0.1b | 2.0 ± 0.2b | <0.0001 | 4.2 ± 0.2a | 2.4 ± 0.1b | 1.5 ± 0.1c | <0.0001 |
| Dairy | 10 | 7.4 ± 0.2a | 6.0 ± 0.1b | 5.4 ± 0.3b | <0.0001 | 6.2 ± 0.2a | 4.2 ± 0.1b | 3.7 ± 0.2c | <0.0001 |
| Total protein food | 5 | 3.3 ± 0.1a | 3.7 ± 0.1a | 3.7 ± 0.1a | 0.0455 | 4.0 ± 0.1b | 4.3 ± 0.0a | 4.1 ± 0.1ab | 0.0108 |
| Seafood and plant proteins | 5 | 1.7 ± 0.2a | 1.8 ± 0.1a | 1.5 ± 0.2a | 0.0548 | 2.8 ± 0.1a | 2.6 ± 0.1a | 2.1 ± 0.1b | 0.0001 |
| Fatty acids | 10 | 3.4 ± 0.2b | 4.3 ± 0.2a | 4.5 ± 0.3a | 0.0001 | 4.6 ± 0.3b | 5.3 ± 0.1ab | 5.6 ± 0.1a | 0.0055 |
| Sodium | 10 | 5.8 ± 0.2a | 5.3 ± 0.2a | 5.1 ± 0.2a | 0.1540 | 5.1 ± 0.2a | 4.4 ± 0.1b | 4.5 ± 0.2ab | 0.0089 |
| Refined grains | 10 | 5.3 ± 0.2a | 4.6 ± 01b | 5.0 ± 0.3ab | 0.0030 | 6.7 ± 0.3a | 5.8 ± 0.2ab | 5.6 ± 0.2b | 0.0101 |
| Saturated fat | 10 | 5.4 ± 0.2a | 5.1 ± 0.2a | 5.1 ± 0.3a | 0.2177 | 6.2 ± 0.2a | 5.7 ± 0.1a | 6.2 ± 0.2a | 0.0256 |
| Added sugar | 10 | 6.4 ± 0.2a | 6.7 ± 0.2a | 6.2 ± 0.2a | 0.0825 | 7.0 ± 0.2ab | 7.2 ± 0.1a | 6.4 ± 0.1b | <0.0001 |
| Total HEI-2015 | 100 | 53.4 ± 0.8a | 50.7 ± 0.4b | 48.7 ± 1.2b | 0.0009 | 59.7 ± 0.9a | 54.2 ± 0.5b | 50.8 ± 0.6c | <0.0001 |
Data presented are least square mean with standard error, adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and ratio of family income to poverty. Different letters in the same row within the data panel for children or adults indicate a significant difference from Bonferroni-corrected post hoc comparison (P < 0.0167).