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Ten-year changes in diet quality among adolescents and young adults (Food Consumption Survey 2004 and 2014, Belgium)

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Abstract

Purpose

To estimate the 10-year change in the overall nutritional quality of adolescent and young adult’s diet, as measured by the modified Nutrient Profiling System of the British Food Standards Agency individual Dietary Index (FSAm-NPS-DI) which funds the Nutri-Score development, and in different components of this score, overall and according to the individual characteristics.

Methods

Two 24-h dietary recalls were carried out in 15- to 39-year-old respondents included in the Belgian Food Consumption Surveys in 2004 (n = 1186) and 2014 (n = 952). The weighted mean individual FSAm-NPS-DI was computed from all foods and beverages consumed, converted into a scale from 0 to 100 (from the poorest to the most favorable diet), and compared between survey years. Subject characteristics associated with the score, along with the mean daily intake of food groups, energy, and nutrients were explored in multiple linear regressions stratified by survey year and age group.

Results

The weighted mean daily FSAm-NPS-DI significantly increased between 2004 and 2014 [2004: 55.3 (SEM: 0.2) vs. 2014: 57.4 (0.5), P < 0.001 in 15- to 18-year olds; 55.0 (0.6) vs. 58.1 (0.4), P < 0.001 in 19- to 25-year olds; 57.1 (0.4) vs. 58.5 (0.3), P < 0.01 in 26- to 39-year olds]. SFA intake decreased in all age groups, and sugar-sweetened beverage, sugar, sodium, and fiber intakes decreased among 15‒18-year olds. The nutritional quality changed unevenly according to sociocultural characteristics, levels of education and regions being the main sources of disparities.

Conclusion

The quality of diet improved overall between 2004 and 2014 among young people in Belgium, an uneven change that need to be confirmed in future surveys, following the implementation of the Nutri-Score.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to protection of personal data but are available on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the French Community of Belgium, as part of the “Actions de Recherche Concertée” funding program. The French Community of Belgium had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article. The English editing was financed by the University Foundation of Belgium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center in “Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Clinical Trials”, CR2, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Route de Lennik 808, CP598, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Lucille Desbouys, Manon Rouche, Camille Pedroni & Katia Castetbon

  2. Sciensano, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Karin De Ridder

Authors
  1. Lucille Desbouys
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  2. Manon Rouche
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  3. Karin De Ridder
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  4. Camille Pedroni
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  5. Katia Castetbon
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Contributions

LD and KC designed the research and had primary responsibility for the final content. KDR managed data collection and provided original data. LD computed scores, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. KC, MR, CP, and KDR critically revised the manuscript, and all authors: read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucille Desbouys.

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Desbouys, L., Rouche, M., De Ridder, K. et al. Ten-year changes in diet quality among adolescents and young adults (Food Consumption Survey 2004 and 2014, Belgium). Eur J Nutr 60, 3225–3235 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02499-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02499-y

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