Health eating index : beyond the score / TusaRebecca Schap, Kevin Kuczynski, Hazel Hiza

The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a measure of diet quality that is based on key recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The DGA as well as the HEI are a result of collaborations between nutritionists at the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The current version is HEI-2010, which reflects the 2010 DGA and includes component scores for total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetables, greens and beans, whole and refined grains, total protein foods, seafood and plant-based protein foods, sodium, and calories from solid fats, added sugar, and alcohol beyond a moderate level. The updated HEI-2015, to be released later this year, will reflect the 2015-2020 DGA. Starting with the 2005 version, the HEI has used a universal set of scoring standards. One feature of the universal scoring metric is the density approach used to calculate amounts per 1,000 kcal. This approach allows researchers to assess the quality of a mix of foods independent of food quantity. In addition, no single food is required for an optimal score and the HEI components reflect the USDA Food Patterns. The basic food groups are considered culturally neutral, which accounts for individual preferences within food groups. These features contribute to the breadth of applications in a variety of research settings. Nutritionists at the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) explored the literature to assess the various research applications of the HEI-2005 and HEI-2010 from 2008 to 2016. The purpose of this article is to share various HEI applications that have been published and to spur thought on additional ways that the HEI could be used for measuring diet quality as defined by the DGA.

Nutrition.