Variable Details
Available Studies
MAP, MARS
Categories
Nutrition
DASH diet score
Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score
The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score measures participants' adherence to DASH diet guidelines of the Exercise and Nutrition Interventions for Cardiovascular Health (ENCORE) trial. The DASH diet is low in fats and cholesterol and promotes fruit, vegetable, and low-fat dairy product consumption.
Participants' nutritional information is recorded using the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Food items on the FFQ are assigned to 7 DASH food groups and 3 components using the Harvard nutrient database. Servings in each component are scored 0, 0.5, and 1. The DASH diet adherence score ranges from 0 to 10 and is the sum of the 10 component scores. Higher scores indicate greater diet concordance.
Dietary component servings and scores:
| Diet component | 0 | 0.5 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total grains (servings/day) | ≤5 | >5 to 6.5 | >6.5 |
| Vegetables (servings/day) | ≤2 | >2 to 3.5 | >3.5 |
| Fruits (servings/day) | ≤2 | >2 to 3.5 | >3.5 |
| Dairy (servings/day) | ≤1 | >1 to 2 | >2 |
| Meat, poultry, and fish (servings/day) | >3.5 | >2 to 3.5 | ≤2 |
| Nuts, seeds, and dry beans (servings/week) | ≤2 | >2 to 3.5 | >3.5 |
| % kcal from fat | >29.5 | >27.5 to 29.5 | ≤27.5 |
| % kcal from saturated fat | >7.5 | >6 to 7.5 | ≤6 |
| Sweets (servings/week) | >7 | >5.5 to 7 | ≤5.5 |
| Sodium (mg/day) | >3,000 | >2,400 to 3,000 | ≤2,400 |