Determinants of Diet Quality in Adolescents: Results from the Prospective Population-Based EVA-Tyrol and EVA4YOU Cohorts

Abstract

(1) Background: Unhealthy dietary behaviors are estimated to be one of the leading causes of death globally and are often shaped at a young age. Here, we investigated adolescent diet quality and its predictors, including nutrition knowledge, in two large Central European cohorts. (2) Methods: In 3056 participants of the EVA-Tyrol and EVA4YOU prospective population-based cohort studies aged 14 to 19 years, diet quality was assessed using the AHEI-2010 and DASH scores, and nutrition knowledge was assessed using the questionnaire from Turconi et al. Associations were examined utilizing multivariable linear regression. (3) Results: The mean overall AHEI-2010 score was 42%, and the DASH score was 45%. Female participants (60.6%) had a significantly higher diet quality according to the AHEI-2010 and DASH score. AHEI-2010 and DASH scores were significantly associated (p < 0.001) with sex, school type, smoking, and total daily energy intake. The DASH score was additionally significantly associated (p < 0.001) with age, socioeconomic status, and physical activity. Participants with better nutrition knowledge were more likely to be older, to attend a general high school, to live in a high-income household, to be non-smokers, and to have a higher diet quality according to the AHEI-2010 and DASH score. (4) Conclusions: Predictors of better diet quality included female sex, physical activity, educational level, and nutrition knowledge. These results may aid focused interventions to improve diet quality in adolescents.

Keywords: AHEI-2010; DASH score; adolescents; diet quality; nutrition knowledge.

Figure 1

Consort flow diagram of the sample selection.

Figure 2

Independent influence of adolescent factors on nutrition scores. * <0.05, ** <0.01, *** <0.001. Multivariable linear regression on AHEI-2010 and DASH scores. Adjustment for age, sex, school type, socioeconomic status, BMI Z-score, physical activity, smoking status, and energy intake.