Dietary variety increases as a function of time and influences diet quality in children

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in dietary variety over time in children and to determine the relationship between dietary variety and diet quality. DESIGN: Dietary data were collected from fourth and fifth grade students for 14 consecutive days by a registered dietitian. SETTING: Colerain School District of Cincinnati, Ohio. PARTICIPANTS: There were 33 children involved in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two cumulative dietary variety scores were estimated. The first was based on the Food Guide Pyramid groups: grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat (GFVDM). The second was based on the groups highlighted by the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for variety: grain, fruit, and vegetable (GFV). Diets were analyzed for energy and nutrient content. ANALYSIS: Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Dietary variety increased over time up to 14 days. A significant difference (P <.0001) was found for the cumulative GFVDM and GFV variety scores on days 3, 7, and 14. Positive correlations were found between the GFVDM and GFV variety scores and vitamin C and fiber. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study suggests that a 2-week period is necessary to capture food variety in children. Some associations were found between dietary variety and diet quality. New tools are needed to measure dietary variety in children.