- Title
- Lower Vegetable Variety and Worsening Diet Quality Over Time Are Associated With Higher 15-Year Health Care Claims and Costs Among Australian Women
- Creator
- Baldwin, Jennifer N.; Forder, Peta M.; Haslam, Rebecca; Hure, Alexis; Loxton, Deborah; Patterson, Amanda J.; Collins, Clare E.
- Relation
- Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vol. 121, Issue 4, p. 655-668
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2020.12.012
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Background: The relationship between diet quality and health care costs is unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between baseline diet quality and change in diet quality over time, with 15-year cumulative health care claims/costs. Design: Data from a longitudinal cohort study were analyzed. Participants/setting: Data for survey 3 (2001) (n = 7,868) and survey 7 (2013) (n = 6,349 both time points) from the 1946-1951 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were analyzed. Main outcome measures: Diet quality was assessed using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). Fifteen-year cumulative Medicare Benefits Schedule (Australia's universal health care coverage) data were reported by baseline ARFS quintile and category of diet quality change (“diet quality worsened” [ARFS change ≤ –4 points], “remained stable” [–3 ≤ change in ARFS ≤3 points], or “improved” [ARFS change ≥4 points]). Statistical analyses: Linear regression analyses were conducted adjusting for area of residence, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and private health insurance status. Results: Consuming a greater variety of vegetables at baseline but fewer fruit and dairy products was associated with lower health care costs. For every 1-point increment in the ARFS vegetable subscale, women made 3.3 (95% CI, 1.6-5.0) fewer claims and incurred AU$227 (95% CI, AU$104-350 [US$158; 95% CI, US$72-243]) less in costs. Women whose diet quality worsened over time made more claims (median, 251 claims; quintile 1, quintile 3 [Q1; Q3], 168; 368 claims) and incurred higher costs (AU$15,519; Q1; Q3, AU$9,226; AU$24,847 [US$10,793; Q1; Q3, US$6,417; US$17,281]) compared with those whose diet quality remained stable (median, 236 claims [Q1; Q3, 158; 346 claims], AU$14,515; Q1; Q3, AU$8,539; AU$23,378 [US$10,095; Q1; Q3, US$5,939; US$16,259]). Conclusions: Greater vegetable variety was associated with fewer health care claims and costs; however, this trend was not consistent across other subscales. Worsening diet quality over 12 years was linked with higher health care claims and costs.
- Subject
- diet quality; health care costs; women’s health; body mass index; SDG 3; SDG 10; Sustainable Development Goals
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1474619
- Identifier
- uon:49321
- Identifier
- ISSN:2212-2672
- Language
- eng
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Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
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