The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs.^{132, 133} Poor eating patterns in childhood are associated with childhood obesity; the risk of chronic diseases starting in childhood, such as type 2 diabetes; ^{134, 135} and diseases that emerge throughout the life cycle, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.^{132, 133, 134} The Healthy Eating Index–2015 (HEI-2015) is a dietary assessment tool comprising 13 components designed to measure quality in terms of how well dietary intake aligns with the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.¹³⁴ HEI scores among children show that from an early age, diets do not align with the Dietary Guidelines. Children and adolescents can improve the quality of their diets by making nutrient-dense food choices as part of a healthy dietary pattern described in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Nutrient-dense foods provide vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components and have no or little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. A healthy dietary pattern consists of nutrient-dense forms of foods and beverages across all food groups, in recommended amounts, and within calorie limits.

Indicator HEALTH6: Average diet quality scores^a using the Healthy Eating Index–2015 for children ages 2–17 by age group, 2017–2018

• During 2017–2018, the average Total HEI-2015 scores for ages 2–5, 6–11, and 12–17 were 61, 53, and 51, respectively, out of 100. Overall, the total diets of children and adolescents did not align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• During 2017–2018, children ages 2–5 met the maximum HEI-2015 component scores for Total Fruit and Whole Fruit. Children ages 6–11 met the maximum HEI-2015 component score for Whole Fruit.
• Component scores were furthest from the maximum for Greens and Beans, Whole Grains, Fatty Acids, Sodium, and Saturated Fats among children ages 2–17.

 HEALTH6 HTML Table