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World Experience in Developing Indices for a Comprehensive Assessment of the Diet of Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review
https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2025-33-10-45-55
Abstract
Introduction: Diet quality is a key factor in physical and mental development of children. To assess it, special indices that take into account age-specific needs, national dietary guidelines, and eating habits are being developed worldwide. This article provides an overview of the main diet quality indices for children, methods of their construction, advantages and limitations.
Objective: To analyze various diet quality indices used globally to evaluate diets of the pediatric population.
Material and Methods: The search for publications on the development of diet quality indices, their substantiation and analysis was done in PubMed, Elsevier, Science Daily, and ResearchGate databases using the following keywords: childhood nutrition, children’s diet quality, healthy eating index for children, HEI–Toddlers, KIDMED, DDS for children, and MAD. We have reviewed 42 foreign and eight Russian scientific papers on the topic published in 2004–2025, of which 29 were issued after January 1, 2020.
Results: This review examines six key indices used in foreign practice to assess children’s diet quality based on food consumption data, namely, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Diet Quality Index for Children (DQI-C), Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED), Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), and Minimal Acceptable Diet (MAD).
Conclusions: The Healthy Eating Index is suitable for monitoring at the national level while DQI-C with its more flexible scoring system is appropriate for comprehensive diet quality analysis in local studies. KIDMED evaluates adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern among children whereas DDS focuses on dietary diversity.
Supporting agencies: The article was prepared at the expense of funds allocated on the topic FGMF-2025 0010.
About the Authors
K. V. Kudryavtseva
Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Foоd Safety
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ksenya V. Kudryavtseva, Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Demography and Nutritional Epidemiology
2/14 Ustinsky Driveway, Moscow, 109240
E. A. Smirnova
Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Foоd Safety
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Elena А. Smirnova, Cand. Sci. (Tech.), Head the Laboratory of Demography and Nutritional Epidemiology
2/14 Ustinsky Driveway, Moscow, 109240
A. K. Baturin
Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Foоd Safety
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexandr K. Baturin, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Prof.; Head of the Optimal Nutrition Direction
2/14 Ustinsky Driveway, Moscow, 109240
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Review
For citations:
Kudryavtseva K.V., Smirnova E.A., Baturin A.K. World Experience in Developing Indices for a Comprehensive Assessment of the Diet of Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review. Public Health and Life Environment – PH&LE. 2025;33(10):45-55. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2025-33-10-45-55
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