Variety of Food Choices is Associated with the Nutritional Quality of Diets of College Students in Korea

Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate effects of dietary variety scores (DVS) and dietary diversity scores (DDS) on the nutritional quality of the diets of Korean college students, and to examine the association between food group intake patterns and nutritional adequacy. This study examined the relationship of dietary diversity scores (DDS), dietary variety scores (DVS), and food group intake patterns with nutrient intakes using 24-hour recall data (n=358). The DDS was calculated from the sum of each of the five food groups consumed as a score of "1". DVS was determined by counting the number of food items consumed daily. Food group intake patterns were expressed with the presence or omission of five major food groups-dairy, meat, grain, fruit, and vegetable. The four most prevalent food group patterns and the proportion of the population reporting them were as follows; no dairy and fruit, 23%; no dairy, 20%; no dairy, meat, and fruit, 15%; all food groups, 14%. Even though the DDS or DVS was higher, the majority of this study population failed to meet the Korean RDA for calcium in both genders and iron in women. Higher DVS scores (≥31), within all DDS groups, were associated with the largest proportion of individuals consuming more than 75% of the Korean RDA for selected nutrients. The consistency of these results indicates that screening diets to evaluate the overall dietary variety and variety among the major food groups including food group intake patterns provide meaningful information about their quality.