P538 - DIET QUALITY ASSESSMENT ACROSS DIETARY GROUPS IN PORTUGAL: DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY INDEX (CNQI)*

P538

DIET QUALITY ASSESSMENT ACROSS DIETARY GROUPS IN PORTUGAL: DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY INDEX (CNQI)*

C. Pinheiro^1,*, A. Oliveira^2,3, J. Amaro^2,4, J. Costa Leite⁵, R. Negrão¹, E. Keating¹

¹RISE-Health, Department of Biomedicine – Unit of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, ²Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, ³Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, ⁴EPIUnit ITR, Institute of Public Health of the University Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, ⁵Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra, Italy

Rationale: Portugal lacks tools for quality assessment across omnivorous and vegetarian diets. This study aims to develop a comprehensive index that allow diet quality assessment across these dietary patterns, aligning with the guidelines underlying the development of the national food guide and considering the contribution of dietary supplements’ (DS) intake.

Methods: The CNQI was developed to reflect adherence to national dietary standards and to vegetarian diet-specific nutritional requirements. It accounts for total nutrient intake, from both foods and DS, and, in a scale from 0 to 100% classifies individuals based on the degree of compliance with the established nutritional guidelines. Healthy adults living in Portugal with an omnivorous (OMNI), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV) or vegan (VEG) diet for at least one year were invited to participate.

Results: Total sample (n=448) was distributed by dietary groups as (n (%)): 270 (60), 99 (22) and 79 (18), for OMNI, LOV and VEG, respectively. Median (P25; P75) CNQI score in the total sample was 73.5 (70.2; 76.4)%, with VEG having the lowest score (72.4 (69.6; 74.7)% (p=0.008). Despite DS, VEG presented lower partial scores for vitamins B12 and D, iodine and iron and OMNI presented lower partial scores for cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, fiber and proteins. HEI-2020 scores positively correlated with CNQI (rs=0.299, p<0.001), showing the capability of the CNQI to assess diet quality compared with HEI-2020.

Conclusion: By providing a standardized index that evaluates adherence to national dietary guidelines, and that accounts for nutrient intake from both foods and supplements, the CNQI enables a full diet adequacy assessment and comparison across different dietary patterns, supporting better dietary recommendations and public health monitoring. *The authors request for confidentiality considering a potential IP registration.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared