Development and Application of Novel Indicators to Measure Diet Quality and Affordability of Healthy Diets in Vietnam

Summary

Taking Vietnam as the local food system in focus for study, this PhD project filled in the data gap of diet quality as well as access to and consumption of healthy diets by generating the essential tools for measuring the diet quality and the cost and affordability of healthy diets. Following the two main strategies for assessing the overall diet and its quality, the a priori and the a posteriori approaches, the studies in this project 1) develop, evaluate, and apply the Vietnamese Healthy Eating Index (VHEI) as an indicator of diet quality for the general Vietnamese population; 2) study derived dietary patterns concerning their quality and cost; and 3) estimate the cost and affordability of healthy diets recommended by the 2016-2020 Vietnamese food-based dietary guidelines. Different datasets are used, for example, the most recent Vietnamese General Nutrition Surveys, three latest Vietnamese Household Living Standard Surveys, and Consumer Price Index food price database. Key insights necessary to facilitate effective interventions and support policy decisions have been identified to support food security and nutrition in Vietnam.