2.4. Eating Habits Assessment
chronic diseases, malnutrition
POLAND, CHRONIC DISEASES, MALNUTRITION
A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), consisting of a comprehensive list of foods and beverages with response categories indicating usual frequency of consumption over a period of time (never or almost never, once a month or less often, several times a month, several times a week, every day, several times a day) was used.The consumption log for the last 72 h was evaluated using the Diet 5D program (Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw, Poland). Based on the data collected with the above tools, the International Diet Quality Index (DQI-I) was calculated, with a total score ranging from 0 to 100 points. The lower the score, the poorer the quality of the diet used. This indicator consists of four categories:Variety—consumption of each food group (fish, meat, eggs, legumes, vegetables, fruits, cereals) and different sources of protein (fish, meat, eggs, legumes, dairy products) (0–20 points);Adequacy—assessment of consumption of individual food components that need to be supplied to ensure a healthy diet and prevent malnutrition (vegetables, fruits, cereals, fiber, protein, iron, calcium, vitamin C) (0–40 points);Moderation—assessing the consumption of dietary components that may require a reduction in daily intake due to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases (total fat, cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, sodium, low calorie foods) (0–30 points);Overall dietary balance—assessment of the ratio of individual macronutrients and fatty acids (0–10 points) [