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Cross-sectional analysis of dietary energy density and dietary quality in teens and adolescents

Rooney, Melissa A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1416232159

Abstract Details

2014, MS, University of Cincinnati, Allied Health Sciences: Nutrition.
Background: Diet quality in children and adolescents can be predictive of health, including risk for developing nutrition-related disorders like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Currently it is difficult to measure diet quality since foods cannot be easily labeled “good” or “bad”. Dietary energy density (ED) is a measure of calories per weight of foods, and may be useful as a measure of diet quality, although this has not been clearly established in childhood. Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether dietary ED is related to diet quality as measured by Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score. Methods: 846 teenagers from Seattle Washington and Baltimore, MD whose dietary information was collected over three days were used for these analyses. Demographic information was collected by self-report and dietary information was collected using 3-day diet recalls by telephone interview. Food recalls were analyzed for nutrient content and food group servings using the Minnesota Nutrient Data Systems for Research (NDSR) software. DASH score and DASH component scores (fruits and vegetables; fats and sweets) were determined using the DASH score index, where higher scores indicated higher diet quality on each measure. ED was calculated by 3 methods: inclusive of foods plus all beverages, foods plus all caloric beverages, or foods only. BMI was measured and physical activity was assessed by accelerometry. The relationships between ED, DASH score, and DASH component scores were assessed using linear mixed effects regression analysis adjusted for child age, child sex, child race/ethnicity (white vs. non-white), highest attained parental education, child physical activity (METS/d), and parent BMI. Results: Overall, DASH score was inversely associated with ED regardless of whether ED was calculated from food only or inclusive of beverages. This association was stronger in females than in males. Additionally, intake of fruits and vegetables increased as ED decreased, and the opposite was true of fats and sweets when beverages were not included in the calculation (food only). Conclusion: These findings suggest that ED is related to recognized indicators of diet quality (high diet quality: DASH score, fruits and vegetables; low diet quality: fats and sweets) in teenagers. Given that associations were higher when ED was calculated with food only, more research should be done to determine how beverages should be considered in ED calculations to predict diet quality in adolescents.
Sarah Couch, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Emily L. Van Walleghen, Ph.D. R.D. (Committee Member)
Abigail Peairs, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
31 p.
Nutrition
nutrition; energy density; DASH diet; diet quality; adolescent diet quality

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rooney, M. A. (2014). Cross-sectional analysis of dietary energy density and dietary quality in teens and adolescents [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1416232159

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rooney, Melissa. Cross-sectional analysis of dietary energy density and dietary quality in teens and adolescents. 2014. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1416232159.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rooney, Melissa. "Cross-sectional analysis of dietary energy density and dietary quality in teens and adolescents." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1416232159

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1416232159
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.