Low-burden metrics for monitoring healthy diets among nonpregnant females aged 15 to 49 years: a multicountry validation analysis using quantitative 24-hour dietary intake data

BACKGROUND: Limited nationally representative quantitative dietary intake data and a lack of consensus on lower-burden tools and metrics hinder high-frequency monitoring of healthy diets globally. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the comparative construct validity and potential complementarity of low-burden metrics of a healthy diet among nonpregnant females aged 15 to 49 y. METHODS: Quantitative 24-h dietary intake data collected from 77,118 adolescent and adult females across 27 countries were used to construct low-burden metrics and reference metrics of dietary intake. Associations between mean-standardized low-burden measures or indicators and reference metrics were assessed using linear and logistic mixed-effect models, with Spearman's ρ used for survey-level rank correlations. Test characteristics identified low-burden indicators best differentiated adherence to reference indicators. RESULTS: An indicator reflecting nonconsumption of sweet foods and/or sweet beverages was most robustly associated with greater adherence to