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Qualitative diet indexes: a descriptive or an assessment tool?
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
|December 1, 1982
Summary
Diet diversity indexes describe food patterns but do not assess nutritional status. This study evaluated various indexes based on nutrient intake, biochemical measures, and cultural logic.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Dietary Assessment
Background:
- Qualitative diet indexes are used to understand dietary patterns.
- Assessing the validity of these indexes is crucial for accurate nutritional research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine diet diversity indexes as qualitative diet indexes.
- To compare different diet indexes based on their construction and relation to nutrient intake.
- To assess the indexes' concordance with biochemical measures, simplicity, and cultural/nutritional logic.
Main Methods:
- Diet indexes were calculated from food frequency data.
- Data were grouped using three food taxonomies or left uncategorized.
- Two specific diet indexes were calculated for comparison with nutrient intake measures.
Main Results:
- The study assessed indexes based on concordance with biochemical vitamin status, ease of calculation, and cultural/nutritional relevance.
- The value of the indexes was found in their descriptive capacity for food patterns.
Conclusions:
- Diet diversity indexes are valuable for describing food patterns.
- These indexes are not suitable for assessing nutritional status or nutrient intake directly.