title: A Revised Australian Dietary Guideline Index and Its Association with Key Sociodemographic Factors, Health Behaviors and Body Mass Index in Peri-Retirement Aged Adults.
abstract: The Dietary Guideline Index, a measure of diet quality, was updated to reflect the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. This paper describes the revision of the index (DGI-2013) and examines its use in older adults. The DGI-2013 consists of 13 components reflecting food-based daily intake recommendations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines. In this cross-sectional study, the DGI-2013 score was calculated using dietary data collected via an 111-item food frequency questionnaire and additional food-related behaviour questions. The DGI-2013 score was examined in Australian adults (aged 55-65 years; n = 1667 men; 1801 women) according to sociodemographics, health-related behaviours and BMI. Women scored higher than men on the total DGI-2013 and all components except for dairy. Those who were from a rural area (men only), working full-time (men only), with lower education, smoked, did not meet physical activity guidelines, and who had a higher BMI, scored lower on the DGI-2013, highlighting a group of older adults at risk of poor health. The DGI-2013 is a tool for assessing compliance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. We demonstrated associations between diet quality and a range of participant characteristics, consistent with previous literature. This suggests that the DGI-2013 continues to demonstrate convergent validity, consistent with the original Dietary Guideline Index.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. mgt@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Maree G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. catherine.milte@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Milte
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. david.crawford@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. sarah.mcnaughton@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McNaughton
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D012179:Retirement; D012423:Rural Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health
keywords: Australian; BMI; diet quality; diet quality index; dietary guidelines; older adults