Dietary quality of elders and children is interdependent in Taiwanese communities: a NAHSIT mapping study.

Dietary quality may exhibit intergenerational associations in Taiwanese communities. Nutrition and Health Surveys in Taiwan (NAHSIT) for children and elders (1999-2002) were mapped for coincident locality and ethnicity with Geo-Gadget. Communities were characterized ecologically. Dietary quality was assessed by the Youth Healthy Eating Index-Taiwan (YHEI-TW) for children and Overall Dietary Index-Revised (ODI-R) for elders. Hierarchical regression analysis was used. Elderly ODI-R was linked with the overall child YHEI-TW (p < .001). When ODI-R increased 1 unit, the child YHEI-TW improved 0.232 and 0.134 YHEI-TW units with men and women, respectively. Dietary quality of community elders is related to that of children.