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Research Project: Interplay of Food and Nutrition Insecurity, Measured and Perceived Diet Quality, and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

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Title: Sociodemographic and diet quality differences among participants with and without cardiometabolic risk, NHANES 2015-2020

Author
item Thomson, Jessica
item LANDRY, ALICIA - University Of Southern Mississippi
item Walls, Tameka

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Purpose: The objective was to determine relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, measured and perceived diet quality, and cardiometabolic risk (CMR). Methods: Analyses were conducted using 2 cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data 2015-2020, included participants =20 years of age, and accounted for the complex sampling design of NHANES. Sociodemographic characteristics included age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, poverty- to-income ratio, household food security, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI). Measured diet quality was based on 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores applied to 24-hour dietary recalls. Letter grades were assigned to diet quality scores based on a 10-point grading scale and used to assess accuracy of perceived diet quality (measured with a single question). CMR was based on 5 dichotomized (yes/no) measures: elevated blood pressure (systolic =130 and diastolic =85 mm Hg) or taking hypertension medication, elevated triglycerides (=150 mg/dL), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (<40 mg/dL males and <50 mg/dL females) or taking cholesterol medication, elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) =5.7% or taking insulin or diabetic medication, and central obesity (based on dual-energy xray absorptiometry or waist circumference within BMI category by race). Results/findings: Participants with CMR (n=7846) were more likely to be =60 years of age (44% vs 11%), widowed/divorced/separated (24% vs 12%), past smoker (30% vs 20%), of non-Hispanic White race (65% vs 61%), and have obesity (52% vs 26%); and less likely to have a college education (26% vs 39%) than participants without CMR (n=4643). Mean total HEI scores (52.6 vs 53.3 points) and distributions of diet quality grades did not differ between participants with CMR and those without CMR. However, participants with CMR were more likely to perceive their diet quality as poor or fair (31% vs 26%) and accurately assess their diet quality (16% vs 13%) than participants without CMR. Conclusions: While some CMR results were as expected (e.g., differences for age, BMI, and perceived diet quality), others were not as expected (e.g., no differences for food security and HEI scores). Findings suggest that relationships among diet, CMR, and sociodemographic factors are complex with health perceptions playing a significant role.