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Background: Many young adults report poor diet quality. However, research evaluating whether young adult males and females differ in diet quality is limited. Additionally, although diet quality has a known inverse association with body mass index (BMI), it is unclear whether this association is observed in young adults and whether it varies by gender. The present study aimed to evaluate gender differences in diet quality in young adults, as well as the associations between diet quality and BMI., Methods: Data collected via the Healthy Eating Quiz (HEQ) in respondents aged 18-35 years between July 2019 and December 2021 were analysed, including demographics, and diet quality calculated using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). Differences in characteristics were analysed using a two-sample t-test, chi-squared and one-way analysis of covariance. Linear regressions were performed to estimate associations between diet quality and BMI. An interaction term was included in the model to test differences between genders., Results: The respondents (n = 28,969) were predominantly female (70.8%) with a mean ± SD age of 25.9 ± 5.0 years and BMI of 24.6 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 . The mean ± SD ARFS was significantly different between females and males (33.1 ± 8.6 vs. 31.4 ± 9.3 points out of 70; p < 0.001). Diet quality had a small, significant inverse association with BMI in both genders. The interaction effect between diet quality score and gender in predicting BMI was significant (p < 0.001), suggesting the impact of diet quality on BMI varies by gender, with lower diet quality more strongly associated with higher BMI in females compared to males., Conclusion: Interventions that target young adults are needed to improve diet quality and its potential contribution to BMI status. As a result of the small observed effect sizes, caution should be applied in interpreting these findings., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Dietetic Association.)

Background: Dietary assessment commonly focuses on particular foods/food groups as indicators of overall dietary intake. Accompaniments such as sauces are not often a focus. The present study describes daily intakes of sauces, condiments and seasonings (SCS) using the most recent Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS), as well as the contribution to total energy and selected nutrient intakes., Methods: NNPAS dietary data were collected by one 24-h recall for 12,153 individuals aged ≥ 2 years (53% female, 29% aged 31-50 years). SCS (i.e., any food items not normally consumed as a food itself, consumed as an addition to a dish after cooking/preparation to enhance flavour) were identified/coded within the dietary data and reported in terms of how they were consumed, primary composition, and contribution to total daily energy and selected macro- and micronutrient intakes., Results: Most participants (85.1%) reported consuming at least one SCS on the day of the recall (median [interquartile range], 2 [1-4]). SCS were predominantly consumed within main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) (73.9%), and were predominantly sugar/sugar products (e.g., white sugar) (35.0%), or fats and oils (e.g., butter) (25.9%). SCS contributed a median (interquartile range) of 3.8% (1.1-7.9) of total energy, 5.3% (0.0-15.5) of fat, 2.3% (0.1-6.6) of carbohydrate and 0.2% (0.01-1.2) of protein intake. SCS made the largest contribution towards vitamin E (females median 3.6%; males median 3.4%) and sodium intakes (females median 3.0%; males median 2.9%)., Conclusions: Although SCS contribute a small proportion of total energy and nutrient intakes in the Australian population, the contribution is more substantial for some nutrients and population groups., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Dietetic Association.)