(P13-042-25) Association of Diet Quality With Meal-Related Habits and Lifestyle Factors in Young to Middle-Aged Adults

Objectives: To investigate the associations of diet quality, as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean (MED) dietary indices, with meal preparation and consumption habits, as well as lifestyle factors such as sleep and physical activity, in young and middle-aged adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from 173 participants enrolled in three randomized controlled diet interventions (age: 18–45 years, BMI: 18.5–45 kg/m²). Dietary intake was assessed using NCI’s Diet History Questionnaire III, and dietary indices for HEI, DASH, and MED dietary patterns were calculated using the dietary index package in R. Meal preparation and consumption habits were collected using the Nutritional Perception Screening Questionnaire. Total sleep hours were self-reported, and physical activity was measured using Actigraph trackers. Non-normalized data were normalized using Johnson transformations. Pearson correlations were performed to examine associations between dietary indices, and sleep, physical activity, and meal-related habits. P-values were adjusted for false discovery rate (FDR), with values < 0.05 considered significant.

Results: Higher total HEI, MED, and DASH index scores were correlated with more frequent meal preparation from scratch (r = 0.22 to 0.31, FDR-adjusted P≤0.05) while higher total HEI scores were correlated with consuming more hot or cooked meals daily (r = 0.23, FDR-adjusted P≤0.05). In terms of lifestyle factors, the seafood and plant protein (soy, nuts/seeds, legumes) component of HEI was positively correlated with total sleep hours (r = 0.31, FDR-adjusted P≤0.05). However, total dietary index scores were not correlated with percentage of time spent in sedentary, moderate, or vigorous physical activity.

Conclusions: Higher diet quality is associated with more frequent meal preparation and cooked meal consumption, suggesting links between dietary patterns and meal-related habits. Additionally, specific dietary components may influence sleep outcomes, highlighting the need for further investigation into these relationships.

Funding Sources: Data included in this analysis are from studies funded by NIH-NIMHD, Almond Board of California and MU.