On September 7, 2023, NCCOR hosted a Connect & Explore webinar titled, “Measuring Diet Quality Across the Lifespan: Introducing the New Healthy Eating Index-Toddlers-2020 and Healthy Eating Index-2020.” This special 90-minute webinar featured an expert panel of researchers who contributed to the new Healthy Eating Index (HEI).
HEI is a scoring system to assess how well foods align with dietary guidelines. The National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the HEI and update it every five years. For the first time, the latest release includes two new scoring systems: HEI-2020 for children and adults aged 2 years and older, and the HEI-Toddlers-2020 for children aged 12 to 23 months.
Speakers reviewed highlights from the 2020 update, explained why a toddler focused version was needed, and described how to assess dietary quality for this age group. The panel included:
- Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH, RD, National Institutes of Health
- Marissa Shams-White, PhD, MSTOM, MS, MPH, National Institutes of Health
- TusaRebecca Pannucci, PhD, MPH, RD, US Department of Agriculture
- Jennifer Lerman, MPH, RD, National Institutes of Health
- Kirsten Herrick, PhD, MSc, National Institutes of Health
Read the NCCOR factsheet to learn more about the HEI-2020 and HEI-Toddlers-2020.