The diet quality of Australian stroke survivors in a community setting.

Background Diet quality is a marker of how closely eating patterns reflect dietary guidelines. The highest tertile for diet quality scores is associated with 40% lower odds of first stroke compared with the lowest tertile. Little is known about the diet of stroke survivors. We aimed to assess dietary intake and quality of Australian stroke survivors. Method Stroke survivors enrolled in the ENAbLE pilot trial (2019/ETH11533, ACTRN12620000189921) and Food Choices after Stroke study (2020ETH/02264) completed the Australian Eating Survey Food Frequency Questionnaire (AES), a 120-item, semi quantitative questionnaire of habitual food intake over the previous 3-6 months. Diet quality was determined by calculating the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS): higher score indicates higher diet quality. Results Eighty-nine adult, stroke survivors (female n = 45, 51%) mean age 59.5 years (± 9.9) had a mean ARFS of 30.5 (± 9.9) (low diet quality). Mean energy intake was similar to the Australian population: 34.1% from non-core (energy dense/nutrient poor) and 65.9% from core (healthy) foods. However, participants in the lowest tertile for diet quality (n = 31) had significantly lower intake of core (60.0 %) and higher intake from non-core foods (40.0%). Most participants did not meet daily requirements for fibre, potassium or omega 3 fatty acids (2%, 15% and 18%), nutrients important to reduce stroke risk. Conclusion The diet quality of stroke survivors was poor, with inadequate intake of nutrients important for reducing recurrent stroke risk. Further research is needed to develop effective interventions to improve diet quality.