Diet Quality of Adolescents and Adults Who Completed the Australian Healthy Eating Quiz: An Analysis of Data over Six Years (2016–2022)

Abstract

Diet quality is influenced by demographics and can change over time. This study aimed to (1) compare diet quality among adolescents/adults who completed the online Healthy Eating Quiz (HEQ) by demographic characteristics, and (2) to evaluate change in score over time for repeat completers. HEQ data collected between July 2016 and May 2022 were analysed, including demographics (age, gender, vegetarian status, socio-economic status, number of people main meals are shared with, country), and diet quality calculated using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) (range 0–73) for respondents aged ≥ 16 years. Differences in ARFS by demographic characteristics and change in score over time, adjusted for age, gender and vegetarian status, were tested by linear regression. The participants (n = 176,075) were predominantly female (70.4%), Australian (62.8%), and aged 18–24 years (27.7%), with 4.0% (n = 7087) repeat completers. Mean ± SD ARFS was 33.9 ± 9.4/73. Results indicate that ARFS was significantly lower among males and significantly higher with increasing age group, higher socio-economic status, in vegetarians, those who shared main meals with others, and those living in Australia (p-values < 0.001). Mean change in ARFS over time (2.3 ± 6.9) was significantly higher for those with lower baseline scores (p < 0.001). Publicly available, brief dietary assessment tools have the potential to improve diet quality at the population level.