Abstract
This research aimed to determine the diet quality and socio-demographic determinants by level of energy-density of diets of Australian young adults. Secondary analysis of the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey-2011/2012 for adults aged 18–34 years (n = 2397) was conducted. Diet was assessed by 24-h recalls. Dietary energy-density was calculated as dietary energy/grams of food (kJ/g) and the Healthy-Eating-Index-for-Australians (HEIFA-2013) was used to assess diet quality (highest score = 100). Dietary energy-density was examined with respect to diet quality and sociodemographic determinants including gender, highest tertiary-education attainment, country-of-birth, age, income, and socio-economic-index-for-area (SEIFA). Higher dietary energy-density was associated with lower diet quality scores (β = −3.71, t (2394) = −29.29, p < 0.0001) and included fewer fruits and vegetables, and more discretionary foods. The mean dietary energy-density was 7.7 kJ/g and 7.2 kJ/g for men and women, respectively. Subpopulations most at risk of consuming high energy-dense diets included those with lower education, Australian and English-speaking countries of birth, and men with low income and women from areas of lower socio-economic status. Young adults reporting low energy-dense diets had higher quality diets. Intensive efforts are needed to reduce the high energy-density of young adults’ diets, and should ensure they include populations of lower socio-economic status.
Highlights
Young adults have been shown to be gaining weight faster than other age groups and each new generation is at greater risk of overweight and obesity than the previous [1,2,3]
The aim of this research is two-fold: to determine if low energy-dense diets of young adults are of better diet quality and more closely adhere to the Australian Dietary Guidelines; and to determine if there is a relationship between high energy-dense diets and socio-demographic background
Diet quality scores explained a significant amount of the variance of dietary energy-density (F (1, 2394) = 858.08, p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.26) and diet-quality was poorer with increasing dietary energy-density (β = −3.71, t (2394) = −29.29, p < 0.0001) (Figure 1)
Summary
Young adults have been shown to be gaining weight faster than other age groups and each new generation is at greater risk of overweight and obesity than the previous [1,2,3]. There is a large personal and economic cost of overweight and obesity due to increased risk of non-communicable disease, and interventions to prevent obesity are urgently required [4,5]. Low energy-dense diets can assist in preventing weight-gain [6,7,8] and the. Diets or determined which subpopulations of young adults are most at risk of consuming high energy-dense diets. Dietary energy-density (kJ/g) is an important determinant to the overall energy consumed [9,10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
