Diet quality of Japanese preschool children assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2020: Relationships with nutrient and food group intake and weekday–weekend differences
▪ Author : H Akazawa, A Sakai, T Takahashi, T Okabe, R Sasaki, H Ishida, et al
▪ Keyword : child nutrition, diet quality, dietary evaluation, weekdays vs weekends, nutrient profiling system
▪ Content : Background and Objectives: In Japan, there are no official dietary guidelines for young children and nutrients may be insufficient on weekends, compared to weekdays at nursery schools. To ensure adequate nutrition, an appropriate dietary evaluation method is required. This study used the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2020, which is based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to evaluate the diet quality of Japanese children, examine its validity through associations with nutrient and food group intake, and compare dietary characteristics on weekdays and weekends. Methods and Study Design: The median HEI-2020 score was 50/100, with almost maximum scores for Total Protein Foods, Seafood and Plant Proteins, and Added Sugars, while Whole Grains and Refined Grains scored zero.