title: A simple food quality index predicts mortality in elderly Taiwanese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relative predictive ability for mortality of the Overall Dietary Index-Revised (ODI-R) and the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) among representative Taiwanese aged 65 and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan during 1999-2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand seven hundred forty three (860 men and 883 women).
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary quality measures, the ODI-R (0-100) and DDS (0-6) were based on 24-hour dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Death by National Death Registry up to 2008 was the outcome measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During follow-up, 624 subjects died. The survivors had both significantly higher (P <0.001) ODI-R (66.9 vs. 63.6) and DDS (4.69 vs. 4.30) than the deceased. The two indices were correlated (r=0.46). After adjustment for potential covariates, the hazard ratios (HR) (95% CI) were 0.63 (0.42-0.97), 0.71 (0.49-1.04) and 0.53 (0.37-0.76) for those whose ODI-R scores were 60-65, 65-70, >70, respectively, compared to those whose ODI-R scores were > 50 (P for trend <0.001). For DDS, the multi-variable HRs (95% CI) were 0.74 (0.55-1.00), 0.52 (0.38-0.72) and 0.50 (0.31-0.81) for those whose DDS were 4, 5, 6, respectively, compared to those whose DDS were ≤3 (P for trend<0.001). Total cancer, diabetes mortalities and pneumonia were similarly benefited according to trends.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ODI-R ≥ 60, and DDS ≥ 4 are predictors of all-cause and cause-specific mortalities. Of the two, DDS is the more predictive. Nutrition policy could be informed and clinical practice enhanced by these population relevant food-health relationships.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. mmsl@ndmctsgh.edu.tw
authors.forename: M-S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y-C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: H-H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: M-Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wahlqvist
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000401:mortality; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000401:mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology