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Nutritional Epidemiology (Poster Session)

(P17-036-25) Validation of the Korean Healthy Diet Score: A Comparative Study With the Korean Healthy Eating Index

Sunday, June 1, 2025
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board A-35

    Presenting Author(s)

  • SK

    Soo Hyun Kim, PhD student

    student
    Seoul National University, Graduate School of Public Health
    Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

    • Co-Author(s)

  • YY

    Yejin Yoon, Ph.D

    Graduate student
    Seoul National University
    Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

  • SK

    Suheon Kim

    Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

  • HK

    Hannah Kim

    Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

  • HJ

    Hyojee Joung, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Seoul National University
    Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

Disclosure(s):
Yejin Yoon, Ph.D: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the validity of the Korean Healthy Diet (KHD) score, a newly developed dietary assessment tool designed for the Korean population, by comparing it with the widely used Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) through investigating the associations of both indexes with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Korean adults.

Methods: Data from the 2016-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to calculate the KHD and KHEI scores based on 24-hour dietary recall data. The KHD has a total score of 13, while the KHEI has a total score of 100, reflecting their different scoring systems. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the two scores. Logistic regression was conducted to assess the associations between KHD and KHEI scores with the prevalence of MetS. The predictive power of each index was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results: The average KHD score was 5.12, while the average KHEI score was 57.38. The KHD and KHEI scores showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.575, p < 0.0001). In logistic regression, a one-point increase in the KHD score was associated with a decrease in the odds of MetS to 0.947 (95% CI, 0.912-0.983), while a one-point increase in the KHEI score was associated with a decrease in the odds of MetS to 0.989 (95% CI, 0.984-0.993). The AUC for the KHD-based model was 0.715, comparable to the AUC of 0.716 for the KHE-based model, demonstrating similar predictive performance.

Conclusions: The KHD score effectively predicts the prevalence of MetS, showing comparable performance to the KHEI. This study highlights the potential utility of the KHD score as a valid and practical dietary assessment tool for Korean.

Funding Sources: This work was carried out with the support of "Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Project No. RS-2022-RD010423)" Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.