Background: With the addition of new guidance for children from birth to 24 months in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (DGA), a Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was developed for toddlers.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the HEI-Toddlers-2020, 5 analyses relevant to construct and concurrent validity and 2 related to reliability were examined.

Design: Twenty-four-hour diet recall data from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2018) were used. In addition, exemplary menus were analyzed.

Participants/setting: The main analytic sample included toddlers aged 12 through 23 months (n = 838), with additional analyses of toddlers aged 12 through 35 months (n = 1,717) from the United States. Included participants had valid diet recalls and available weight-for-age data.

Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes measures included HEI-Toddlers-2020 total and component scores on menus, population distributions, and correlations.

Statistical Analyses: HEI total and component scores were calculated using menus from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Healthy Eating Research. Score means and distributions were estimated using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2011-2018). Principal component analysis explored dimensions and Pearson correlations examined components, energy, and Cronbach α. In addition, HEI-Toddlers-2020 and HEI-2020 scores were compared for identical intakes at age 24 months.

Results: For validity, exemplary menus received high scores with the HEI-Toddlers-2020. The mean ± SE total HEI-Toddlers-2020 score for toddlers aged 12 through 23 months was 62.9 ± 0.78 and ranged from 40.1 to 84.4 (1 to 99 percentile). Correlation between diet quality and diet quantity was low (-0.15); the scree plot revealed multiple factors. In addition, total scores for identical intakes were approximately 1.5 points higher for HEI-Toddlers-2020 compared with HEI-2020 (difference range for component scores, -4.97 to 4.89). For reliability, most of the intercorrelations among components were low to moderate (0 to 0.49), with a few exceptions among related components. Cronbach α was .48. These results indicate that the index is multidimensional, with no single component driving the total score, and no unnecessary components that are highly correlated with another component.

Conclusions: The results demonstrated evidence supportive of validity and reliability. The HEI-Toddlers-2020 can be used to assess alignment with the DGA for toddlers.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.05.014DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

healthy eating
12
toddlers aged
12
aged months
12
component scores
12
validity reliability
8
national health
8
health nutrition
8
nutrition examination
8
examination survey
8
exemplary menus
8

Similar Publications

Background: Individual health behaviors are associated with pregnancy outcomes, but their joint effects are rarely considered. We aimed to examine associations between combinations of first trimester health behaviors and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), normotensive adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), and blood pressure (BP) 2-7 years after delivery.

Methods: Participants in the nuMoM2b and follow-up Heart Health Study were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) results from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Both genetic susceptibility and unhealthy lifestyle are known to be associated with elevated T2D risk. However, their combined effects on T2D risk are not well studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is intricately tied to the impairment of neurons, crucial for neurological functions. Despite extensive research, the precise mechanism underlying AD development remains elusive due to its multifaceted aetiology. Vitamin deficiency has emerged as a notable contributor to AD onset and progression, exerting a significant influence on brain function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota plays a crucial role in host health and disease in dogs, but the knowledge regarding the mucosal associated microbiota along the GI tract is limited in dogs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the phylogeny and predicted functional capacity of microbiota residing on the gut mucosa across five GI regions of healthy young adult and geriatric dogs fed different diets. Twelve weanling (8 weeks old) and 12 senior (11.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impacts of a puberty and period education intervention among 9- to 12-year-old girls in the New York metropolitan area: a randomized trial.

BMC Public Health

January 2025

Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.

Objectives: To evaluate the immediate impacts of an illustrated book on puberty and periods for girls in the United States (US).

Methods: We conducted a randomized educational intervention between February-May 2023 among girls ages 9-12 years in after-school programs in the New York metropolitan area (n = 123). Girls were assigned to read a book on puberty and periods or an alternative book on healthy eating.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!