Nutrients, Vol. 18, Pages 1513: Body Composition and Comparison of Diet Quality Using the Healthy Eating Index (2015) and Diet Quality Index-International in a Group of Organic and Conventional Fruit Growers—A Pilot Study
Nutrients doi: 10.3390/nu18101513
Authors:
Hubert Dobrowolski
Bartosz Szumigaj
Dariusz Włodarek
Renata Kazimierczak
Justyna Obidzińska
Ewa Rembiałkowska
Background/Objectives: Diet is an essential factor influencing health and the preventive management of some diseases. There is little research to date on the diet of organic food producers, particularly organic ones. The present study aimed to investigate the diet quality of organic and conventional fruit growers. Methods: Fifty-three fruit growers, including 28 organic and 25 conventional, took part in the study. Body weight and height were measured. Body composition was estimated using the BIA method. Information on dietary intake was collected using a 3-day dietary record. Diet quality scores were calculated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and the Diet Quality Index International (DQI-I). Results: The diet quality of the orchardists was low (31.7 ± 9.3 points on the HEI scale and 54.3 ± 7.5 points on the DQI-I scale). Organic fruit growers scored significantly higher on both scales, compared to conventional fruit growers (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002 for HEI and DQI-I, respectively) and had a lower percentage of BF and a higher percentage of FFM and TBW in their bodies (p = 0.013, p = 0.049 and p = 0.049, respectively). Consumers of organic products had better diet quality scores, and diet quality increased as the percentage of organic food consumption increased. Both diet quality and the percentage of organic food consumed were associated with participants’ self-assessed nutritional knowledge. Conclusions: Diet quality was associated with the type of agricultural practice and with organic food consumption. As a pilot cross-sectional study based partly on self-reported measures, the observed differences should be interpreted cautiously. They may also partly reflect broader lifestyle-related factors. Further research on similar groups is needed to confirm these relationships, preferably with an assessment of respondents’ nutritional knowledge.
Background/Objectives: Diet is an essential factor influencing health and the preventive management of some diseases. There is little research to date on the diet of organic food producers, particularly organic ones. The present study aimed to investigate the diet quality of organic and conventional fruit growers. Methods: Fifty-three fruit growers, including 28 organic and 25 conventional, took part in the study. Body weight and height were measured. Body composition was estimated using the BIA method. Information on dietary intake was collected using a 3-day dietary record. Diet quality scores were calculated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and the Diet Quality Index International (DQI-I). Results: The diet quality of the orchardists was low (31.7 ± 9.3 points on the HEI scale and 54.3 ± 7.5 points on the DQI-I scale). Organic fruit growers scored significantly higher on both scales, compared to conventional fruit growers (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002 for HEI and DQI-I, respectively) and had a lower percentage of BF and a higher percentage of FFM and TBW in their bodies (p = 0.013, p = 0.049 and p = 0.049, respectively). Consumers of organic products had better diet quality scores, and diet quality increased as the percentage of organic food consumption increased. Both diet quality and the percentage of organic food consumed were associated with participants’ self-assessed nutritional knowledge. Conclusions: Diet quality was associated with the type of agricultural practice and with organic food consumption. As a pilot cross-sectional study based partly on self-reported measures, the observed differences should be interpreted cautiously. They may also partly reflect broader lifestyle-related factors. Further research on similar groups is needed to confirm these relationships, preferably with an assessment of respondents’ nutritional knowledge. Read More