Diet Quality of Adults with Overweight and Obesity in Southwestern, Nigeria

Poordietqualityis a leadingandpreventable causeof adversehealth,whichincludesnon-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, there is little information regarding the quality of diet of overweight and obese adults in Southwestern, Nigeria. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the diet quality of adults with overweight and obesity in Southwestern, Nigeria. The study was descriptive and cross-sectional. It involved 223 participants from three states in Southwestern, Nigeria. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hours dietary recall and analysed to determine the energy and nutrient intake. Adequacy of energy and nutrients was determined using estimated energy requirement and estimated average requirements, respectively. Height (m) and weight (kg) were taken to determine the Body 2 Mass Index (BMI) (kg/m ). Diet quality was assessed using the 100-point Diet Quality Index – International (DQI-I) and categorized as low (0-33), average (34-66) and high (67-100). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and Pearson correlations were used to analyse data at p< 0.05 level of significance. High quality diet was achieved by 21% of the participants and majority did not meet recommendations for fruits, vegetables, calcium and vitamin C. Moreover, in the proportion that met food-group and nutrient recommendations: rural vs urban: fruits (1% vs 0%), vegetables (5% vs 2%), root/tubers/grains (12% vs 24%), and protein (86% vs 92%). Participants' diet quality had a positively weak correlation with BMI (r=0.07; p<0.05). Continued recommended fruits and vegetables intake should be considered as effortsto improve the diet quality and health outcome of adults with overweight and obesity