NIN Hyderabad Researchers Develop Tool to Assess Schoolchildren's Diet Quality

Researchers at the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) in Hyderabad have developed a new dietary screening questionnaire to identify diet diversity and the risk of micronutrient deficiencies among school-age children. The study, published on July 2, 2026, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, introduces a 13-food-group scoring system tailored specifically for Indian children aged 6 to 10 years.

The newly developed tool classifies commonly consumed foods into 13 context-specific food groups based on their micronutrient content. The research team used this classification to establish a Diet Diversity Score (DDS) to evaluate the nutritional quality of children's daily diets.

A key feature of the tool is its use of a minimum intake threshold of five grams. This low threshold allows the DDS to capture small but nutritionally meaningful amounts of food, such as a small cup of pulses, a few bites of fruit or vegetables, or small quantities of milk consumed in mixed dishes.

To confirm the tool's accuracy, the researchers validated the DDS by comparing children’s dietary scores against the adequacy of 10 essential micronutrients and selected biomarkers of nutritional status. The tool showed a significant correlation with overall micronutrient adequacy and hemoglobin levels, proving its efficacy as a practical screening indicator.

According to the study, children who consumed foods from 10 or more of the 13 food groups—with at least five grams consumed from each group—were significantly more likely to meet at least 70 percent of their daily micronutrient requirements.

Dr. SubbaRao M. Gavaravarapu, Scientist G at ICMR-NIN and leader of the study, stated that the DDS offers a promising approach to identify children at risk of micronutrient inadequacy and supports timely nutrition interventions.

Dr. Bharati Kulkarni, Director of ICMR-NIN, noted that the tool has the potential to assist school health programmes, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), teachers, parents, nutritionists, and public health professionals in rapidly screening children’s dietary quality. Dr. Kulkarni added that further multicentric validation across diverse regions and food environments in India is essential before the tool can be implemented on a large scale.