Abstract

It is suggested that evaluation of diet quality may be a great indicator of nutritional assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diet quality of children and adolescents based on nutrient and food group intake and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I). This survey was conducted through questionnaires and diet record survey to 477 students (elementary school students; n = 131, middle school students; n = 136, and high school students; n = 210). The results showed that high school students were significantly more often to skip breakfast compared with the other groups. The middle and high school students consumed significantly higher intakes of food and energy compared to the elementary school students. Also the number of nutrients in Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) < 1.0 of high school students were significantly higher than that of elementary and middle school students. The Korean's dietary diversity score (KDDS) of elementary school, middle school and high school students were 4.1, 4.4 and 4.3 respectively. The average DQI-I of elementary school, middle school and high school students were 66.7, 65.5, and 63.7, respectively and there was significant difference. Also, middle school students showed to have higher score in variety and adequacy category compared with the other groups, and elementary school students appeared to have higher score in moderation category. In conclusion, high school students appeared to have unhealthy dietary habits in terms of high frequency of skipping breakfast and lower INQ and DQI-I score compared to the elementary school and middle school students. Therefore, the proper dietary management should be needed for high school students.

• Keywords: diet quality; children; adolescents; diet quality index-international (DQI-I)