[The study of the informativeness and reliability of the healthy eating index for assessing of dietary peculiarity and eating behavior of Russian population].

For the integral assessment of diet, tools have been proposed, called nutritional quality indices, and, as separate options, healthy eating indices (HEI), which assess diets in relation to compliance with existing national recommendations for healthy eating for the population. The aim of this work was to investigate the suitability and reliability of the developed baseline HEI for assessing the nature of the diet, modifications of the diet and eating behavior of the population. Methods. To analyze the suitability and reliability of the HEI for assessing the features of dietary intake and eating behavior of the population, the data on the actual nutrition and eating behavior of adults 19+ years of both sexes obtained by Rosstat in 2013 and 2018 have been used. Along with using the 24-hour food replay method to study actual food intake, the questionnaires included a form for assessing the frequency of consumption of major food groups in a standard format: daily or several times a week, once a week, several times a month, once a month or less often, practically do not consume. Results. The average HEI values for women in all food consumption groups are significantly higher than for men (p<0.01). Changes in average HEI values depending on the level of consumption of various products are multidirectional. When foods such as grains, vegetables and fruits are consumed in quantities greater than the median, the HEI is significantly higher than when consumed at less than the median level. On the contrary, when consuming more than the median of meat products, fatty products and confectionery products, as well as for those who consumed sausages, the HEI for both women and men is significantly lower than for those who consumed less than the median or did not consume these products. The average HEI values in men and women who consumed cottage cheese, kefir or yogurt are significantly higher than among those who did not consume these foods. Significantly higher HEI values were found in vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians. The average HEI values of adults of both sexes in autumn are significantly higher than in spring, which is confirmed by the significantly higher consumption of vegetables and fruits in autumn, w hich are components- indicators of the integral HEI. The dependence of the HEI values on the frequency of consumption of the main food groups, which are its components or affect the consumption of components, has been shown. The higher the frequency of consumpt ion of meat products, butter, salad dressings, chocolate and sweets or sweet carbonated drinks the lower is the HEI. On the other hand, the higher the frequency of consumption of vegetables, fruits, milk, fermented milk, cottage cheese or curd the higher is the HEI. Conclusion. The changes in the values of the HEI at various values, as well as the frequency, of food consumption indicate the possibility of HEI using as a marker for assessing the relationship between diet, health status and the incidence of chronic noncommunicable diseases.