Research in Medicine

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Background: The present study was conducted to determine the dietary diversity score and its association to other measure of diet quality, including mean adequacy ratio. Materials and methods: After excluding the underreported subjects, 581 individuals over 18 years old (295 women & 286 men) were selected. Their dietary intake assessments were based on 2 day 25 hour food recall interview. A dietary diversity score was based USDA-defined food groups calculated as part of the pyramid serving database that categorized into 23 broad food groups. The dietary diversity score reflects a weighted average of scores for each of the 5 primary food subgroups. Therefore each of the 5 broad food categories received a maximum diversity score of 2 the 10 possible score points. To be counted as a "consumer" for any of the food groups categories, a respondent needed to consume one-half serving, as defined by Food Guide Pyramid quantity criteria, at any time during the 2-day survey period. The nutrient adequacy ratio for a given nutrient is the ratio of a subject's intake to the current recommended allowance for the subjects' sex and age category. Results: The minimum and maximum dietary diversity score was shown in grain (0.850.24) and fruit (1.480.6) groups, respectively. There was no difference in dietary variety score between men and women. Half of people in this study had the dietary diversity score less than 6. There were no signification correlation between energy intake, fat (%), carbohydrate, protein, fiber and cholesterol (gr) with dietary score. The dietary diversity score was correlated with mean adequacy ratio score (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on this survey and prior reports, dietary diversity score provide and ideal method to determine the differences of dietary patterns of different peoples and a new measure to predict dietary adequacy. Half of the people of this survey hadn't ideal dietary diversity score, so nutrition education as a more concrete concept of a varied diet is necessary.

Keywords: Dietary diversity, Mean adequacy ratio.

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