Australia’s National 
Science Agency 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 
2015-2023 

An analysis of diet quality comparing the diets of Australians 
with recommendations in the Australian Dietary Guidelines 

Authors: Danielle Baird and Gilly Hendrie 
September 2023 


Contents 

1 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................3 
2 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score ................................................................................................4 

2.1 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score survey ........................................................................4 
2.2 Objectives ..........................................................................................................4 
2.3 Methods.............................................................................................................5 
3 Respondent characteristics .............................................................................................5 
4 Key findings.....................................................................................................................7 

4.1 Diet score by demographic characteristics..........................................................7 

4.2 Diet quality component scores ...........................................................................9 

4.3 Discretionary foods ..........................................................................................13 

4.4 Diet score over time .........................................................................................17 

4.5 Variety of vegetables at the main meal.............................................................20 
Appendix.......................................................................................................................21 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 2 


Executive Summary 

The CSIRO Healthy Diet Score is an online survey which estimates diet quality using short 
questions. They survey assesses 9 components of diet, including quantity, quality and variety of 
foods consumed, and estimates compliance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines to generate a 
score out of 100. This report describes the diet quality of Australian adults based on the diet 
scores of a weighted sample of 235,268 adults who completed the survey between May 2015 to 
July 2023. 

Key results include: 

 
The average diet score was 55 out of 100. The average diet score has decreased over time, 
from 56 in 2015 to 53 in 2023. The greatest decrease was reported in older adults. 
 
Women reported slightly better diet quality than men, with an average score of 56 
compared to 53 for men. The greatest difference was for vegetable consumption. Women 
scored 8 points higher on the vegetable component than men (62 vs 54 out of 100). 
 
The diet quality of older adults was better than younger Australians, with 7 points 
differentiating 18-50 year olds and those over 70 years (53 vs 60 respectively). 
 
Diet score varied by occupation. Retired Australians and those working in the fitness 
industry had the highest average diet scores (59 out of 100), while construction workers 
and unemployed Australians had the lowest scores (51 out of 100). 
 
The diets of Australian adults aligned most with the beverage (scoring 93 out of 100) and 
meats and alternatives (78 out of 100) recommendations in the Guidelines. There was also 
reasonable alignment for breads and cereals (70 out of 100) and variety (65 out of 100). 
 
The diets of Australian adults were least compliant with the Guidelines for dairy foods and 
discretionary foods. Adults reported to consume too many discretionary foods (scoring 20 
out of 100) and not enough dairy and alternatives (38 out of 100). 
 
Diet quality decreased as self-reported weight status increased, but only to a small extent. 
Adults withing the healthy weight range scored 56 out of 100 compared to 53 for obese 
adults. Adults within the healthy weight range scored higher for fruit, discretionary foods, 
and variety. 
 
The average discretionary food consumption was about 28 serves per week. Consumption 
was highest for those working in construction and the beauty or fashion industry (~48 
serves per week) and lowest for those working in research or fitness (~23 serves per week). 
 
The top contributors to discretionary intake were alcohol, cakes and biscuits, chocolate 
and confectionary, and takeaway foods. Men consumed about 10 serves per week more 
than women, and younger adults about 5 serves per week more than older adults. 
 
The average score for vegetables was 58 out of 100 (one of the lowest scoring 
components). Only four out of 10 adults reported to always eat 3 or more different 
vegetables at their main meal – an indicator of a healthy diet. This has decreased from 47% 
in 2016 to 35% in 2023. 
 
More women than men (47% vs 40%), more older than younger adults (54% vs 38%), and 
more adults classified as healthy weight compared to obese (47% vs 39%) reported always 
having 3 or more different vegetables at their main meal. 
CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 3 


CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 

2.1 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score survey 
In May 2015, CSIRO launched the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score. This online survey is freely available to 
all Australians (https://my.totalwellbeingdiet.com/healthy-diet-score). 

The CSIRO Healthy Diet Score is based on a scientifically validated tool which includes 38 
purposefully selected short questions about an individual’s usual food intake (see Appendix for 
published papers). The survey assesses the quantity, quality and variety of foods consumed. 
Individuals respond on the frequency and number of standard servings they consume. 

Quantity components 

 
Amounts of fruit, vegetables, breads and cereals, meat and alternatives, dairy foods, and 
discretionary foods. 
Quality components 

 
Frequency of wholegrain consumption, reduced fat dairy, frequency of trimming meat, the 
type of fat used as spreads, and water consumption (as a proportion of total beverage 
intake). 
Variety component 

 
Variety of foods consumed within each of the 5 healthy food groups. 
Responses are compared to age-sex specific food group intake recommendations and serving sizes 
described in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. A score out of 100 is generated with a higher score 
reflecting greater compliance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and a higher overall diet 
quality. On completion of the survey, individuals receive personalised diet score and feedback on 
how to improve their diet quality. 

2.2 Objectives 
This report provides an overview of the diet quality of Australian adults, using data from the CSIRO 
Healthy Diet Score survey collected since 2015. The report highlights: 

 
Differences in overall diet score among population subgroups; 
 
Differences in diet quality component scores; and 
 
Changes in the overall diet score over time. 
CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 4 


2.3 Methods 
This report uses data from a sample of 235,268 Australian adults who visited the CSIRO Healthy 
Diet Score website (https://my.totalwellbeingdiet.com/healthy-diet-score) and completed the 
online survey between May 2015 to July 2023. 

The survey is freely available, and therefore some individuals have completed the survey on 
multiple occasions. For this report, data from an individual’s first survey completion was identified 
and used in the analysis. This provides a cross sectional snapshot of the overall diet quality among 
a large sample Australian adults who have completed the survey. 

Partial survey responses were excluded, and outliers removed using previously published criteria 
(a total of 1,657 survey responses excluded). Outliers were identified as an invalid or extreme age 
of less than 18 or older than 100 years, a Body Mass Index of less than 13 or greater than 97 
kg/m2, height less than 1m or greater than 3m, or weight less than 13kg or greater than 250kg. 

The demographic distribution of the sample is different to that of the general Australian 
population according to the most recent 2021 Census data (Table 1). To partially account for this, a 
weighting factor was calculated for each of the eight sex/age groups and applied so that the data 
by age group and sex was representative of those characteristics in the 2021 census. In section 4.4 
of this report, where results are presented by year of survey completed, population weighting 
factors were calculated for each discrete year, to ensure each reporting year was representative of 
the population. Years 2015 to 2018 were weighted to the age and sex subgroup distribution of the 
Australian population from the 2016 census, and 2019 to 2023 were compared to the 2021 
census. See appendix for weighting factors. 

Given the large sample size, we used cut offs as a guide to interpret the meaningfulness of 
differences between groups. A difference less than five points between groups was considered 
small, five to less than 10 points was considered a medium difference and ten or more considered 
a large difference. Discussion of results favoured the most meaningful differences. 

3 Respondent characteristics 

Most of the sample who completed the survey were female (74%) with a relatively even 
distribution of people in the 18-30 (32% of the total sample), 31-50 (34%), 51-70 (30%) year age 
groups. Only 3% of the sample were in the over 70 age group (Table 1). 

Using self-reported height and weight, almost half the sample was classified as overweight or 
obese (48%) and half (49%) as healthy weight. The online survey attracted participants from all 
Australian States and Territories, with 28% of survey participants living in Victoria, and 28% living 
in New South Wales. Of the remaining respondents, 15% resided in Queensland, 10% in Western 
Australia and 9% in South Australia, and less than 5% in Australian Capital Territory, Northern 
Territory or Tasmania combined (Table 1). 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 5 


Table 1 Characteristics of the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score survey sample (n=235,268) 

PERCENTAGE OF AUSTRALIAN 

UNWEIGHTED 

SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS SAMPLE POPULATION* 

COUNT 

(N=235,268) (N=25,422,788) 

Sex 
Male 62115 26.4% 49.3% 
Female 173153 73.6% 50.7% 
Age group 
18-30 years 76082 32.3% 21.6% 
31-50 years 81206 34.5% 35.0% 
51-70 years 70148 29.8% 29.2 % 
71+ years 7832 3.3% 14.3 % 

Weight status** 
Underweight 6863 2.9% 2.0 % 
Healthy weight 114942 48.9% 37.7 % 
Overweight 66074 28.1% 35.1 % 
Obese 47107 20.0% 25.3 % 
State or territory 
New South Wales 65374 27.8% 31.8 % 
Queensland 36306 15.4% 20.3 % 
Australian Capital Territory 10226 4.3% 1.8% 
Northern Territory 2265 1.0% 0.9% 
Tasmania 7732 3.3% 2.2% 
Victoria 66797 28.4% 25.6% 
Western Australia 22724 9.7% 10.5% 
South Australia 22065 9.4% 7.0% 

*Data on the demographics of the Australian population was extracted from the 2021 Census, 
except for weight status. 

**Weight status data was taken from results of the National Health Survey 2020-21. 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 6 


4 Key findings 

4.1 Diet score by demographic characteristics 
The average diet score of Australian adults was 55 out of a possible 100 (SD=11.7), with scores 
ranging from 0 to 97 (Table 2). 

 
Women reported a slightly higher diet score than men, with an average diet score of 56 
compared to 53 for men (a difference of 3 points out of 100). This suggests that, overall, 
the diets of Australian women were more closely aligned than men to the 
recommendations in the Australians Dietary Guidelines. 
 
Diet scores tended to be higher in older age groups. The average diet score for adults aged 
71 years and older was almost 7 points higher those aged 18-30 years. Young adults (18-30 
years) had an average diet score of 53 points out of 100, compared to 60 points out of 100 
for those aged 71+ years (Table 3). 
 
Generation X and Y had lower scores than Baby boomers and the Silent Generation. 
 
The was little variation in the average diet score between Australian States and Territories, 
with the average scores ranging from 54-56 (Table 4). 
 
The average diet score varied by occupation type. There was an 8 point difference between 
the lowest (unemployed) and highest (retired) subgroups. Retired Australians and those 
working in the health and fitness industry had an average diet score of 59 out of 100, while 
those working in construction, logistics/operations, and Australians who were 
unemployed, had the lowest average diet score of 51 out of 100 (Table 5). 
Table 2: Average diet score by sex 

Male Female Total 
(n=62,115) (n=173,153) (n=235,268) 
Mean 53.5 56.4 55.0 
Standard Deviation 11.7 11.4 11.7 
Median 53.4 56.4 55.0 
Range 0-96.1 0-97.2 0-97.2 
Table 3: Average diet score by age group and birth generation 

Age group/Generation n Mean Standard Deviation 
Age group 
18-30 years 
31-50 years 
51-70 years 
76082 
81206 
70148 
53.0 
52.9 
56.9 
11.9 
11.2 
11.3 
71+ years 7832 59.6 10.9 
Generation Z 6723 52.2 12.1 
Generation Y 86245 52.8 11.7 
Generation Generation X 72065 53.1 11.3 
Baby Boomers 
Silent Generation 
63729 
6506 
57.4 
59.8 
11.3 
10.9 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 7 


Table 4: Average diet score by Australian State or Territory 

State/Territory n Mean Standard Deviation 
New South Wales 65374 55.2 11.6 
Queensland 36306 54.6 11.8 
Australian Capital Territory 10226 55.6 11.6 
Northern Territory 2265 54.0 11.5 
Tasmania 7732 54.0 11.8 
Victoria 66797 55.1 11.6 
Western Australia 22724 54.8 11.5 
South Australia 22065 55.3 11.7 
Table 5: Average diet score by occupation 
Occupation n Mean Standard Deviation 

Retired 23783 59.2 11.0 
Personal Trainer / Coach 1407 58.9 12.0 
Health Care 22524 56.8 11.3 
Research 3252 56.3 10.8 
Homemaker 9205 56.1 11.8 
Education 21626 55.8 11.2 
Social service 2571 54.3 11.3 
Consulting 4103 54.2 10.6 
Human Resources 2556 54.2 10.9 
Student 31711 54.1 11.9 
Other 14994 54.0 11.8 
Administration 21144 53.8 11.3 
News / Information 1651 53.8 11.2 
Arts / Entertainment 3128 53.7 11.4 
Politician / Public Servant 4014 53.6 10.9 
Architecture / Design 2721 53.5 11.1 
Beauty / Fashion 1580 53.4 12.1 
Event planning 558 53.4 11.3 
Finance 10853 53.3 11.3 
Buying / Purchasing 496 53.2 11.9 
Management 9652 53.2 10.9 
Science / Technology 9539 53.2 11.2 
Advertising / PR 2222 52.9 10.8 
Distribution 631 52.9 12.1 
Real Estate 1049 52.5 11.0 
Sales / Marketing 6691 52.3 11.4 
Customer Service 6203 52.2 12.3 
Production 1294 51.9 11.6 
Restaurant / Food service 3670 51.6 11.9 
Construction 4250 51.5 11.8 
Operations / Logistics 2331 51.5 11.7 
Unemployed 3839 51.2 13.5 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 8 


4.2 Diet quality component scores 
 
There are 9 scoring components that make up the overall diet score. 
 
The component score for beverages was highest (93 out of 100) and discretionary foods 
was the lowest (20 out of 100). 
 
The top three highest scoring components, meaning most closely aligned to the Australian 
Dietary Guidelines, were beverages (93 out of 100), followed by meats and alternatives (78 
out of 100) and breads and cereals (70 out of 100) (Table 6). 
 
The three lowest scoring components, meaning consumption was furthest from the 
Australian Dietary Guidelines, were discretionary foods (20 out of 100), followed by dairy 
and alternatives (38 out of 100) and healthy fats (49 out of 100) (Table 6). 
Differences by sex 

 
The overall ranking (highest to lowest) of component scores for men and women was 
similar except for fruit and vegetables. Women scored slightly higher for vegetables than 
fruit (62 vs 60 out of 100), whereas men scored higher for fruit than vegetables (59 vs 54 
out of 100). 
 
Women scored higher than men on all diet quality components, except for fruit, breads 
and cereals, and dairy and alternatives, where men and women scored equally (Table 6). 
 
The greatest difference in component scores was for vegetables, with women scoring 8 
points higher than men (62 vs 54) in favour of greater compliance with the Australian 
Dietary Guidelines. Women also scored slightly higher than men for intake of beverages, 
discretionary foods, and healthy fats – which were all about 4 points higher for women 
than men. 
Table 6: Diet score and component scores by sex 

Male Female Total Overall 
(n=62,115) (n=173,153) (n=235,268) ranking 
Overall score (out of 100) 53.5 56.4 55.0 
Component Score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetables 53.6 61.8 57.8 6 
Fruit 59.0 60.5 59.8 5 
Breads and cereals 70.4 70.3 70.4 3 
Meat and alternatives 76.4 79.2 77.9 2 
Dairy and alternatives 38.1 38.0 38.1 8 
Beverages 90.6 94.9 92.8 1 
Discretionary 18.0 22.0 20.1 9 
Healthy Fats 46.9 50.5 48.7 7 
Variety 64.2 65.0 64.6 4 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 9 


Differences by age group 

 
Diet quality increased with the increasing age groups. The average diet score was about 7 
points higher in the 71+ year age group than the 18-30 age group (Table 7). The 
component scores that were most different between the oldest and youngest Australians 
were fruit (with those aged 71+ years scoring 18 points higher than 18-30 years), breads 
and cereals (14 points difference), healthy fats (10 points difference), and vegetables (9 
points difference). 
 
Adults in older age groups reported a greater variety in their diets compared to younger 
adults (69 vs 62 points out of 100). 
 
The average scores for discretionary foods and dairy and alternatives were consistently low 
(less compliant with guidelines) in all age groups. 
Table 7: Diet score and component scores by age group 

18-30 years 31-50 years 51-70 years 71+ years 
(n=76,082) (n=81,206) (n=70,148) (n=7,832) 
Overall score (out of 100) 53.0 52.9 56.9 59.6 
Component Score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetable 56.0 54.3 59.8 65.3 
Fruit 55.5 53.5 63.8 73.6 
Breads and cereals 67.2 66.1 72.3 81.5 
Meat and alternatives 74.5 75.0 82.4 80.6 
Dairy and alternatives 36.0 38.8 39.0 37.6 
Beverages 92.0 93.1 93.3 92.5 
Discretionary foods 20.7 19.0 20.6 20.5 
Healthy fats 45.4 46.2 51.1 55.2 
Variety 61.6 63.4 66.2 68.8 

Differences by sex and age group 

 
The difference in diet score between men and women was greater in the older age groups. 
The difference between men and women was about 2 points for the 18-30 and 31-50 year 
age groups, and about 3.5 points for the older two age groups (Table 8). 
 
The greatest difference between groups was observed in the 18-30 and 31-50 year age 
groups for vegetable consumption where women scored 8 and 10 points (out of 100) 
higher than men, respectively. 
 
Young men aged 18-30 years scored higher than women for breads and cereals, and meat 
and alternatives – meaning their consumption was closer to Guidelines. Older men (aged 
51-70 years) scored higher than women for dairy and alternatives. Otherwise, women 
tended to score higher than men across almost all other components of diet quality, 
regardless of age group. 
CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 10 


 
Discretionary food component scores were low across all age and sex groups, but the 
difference between men and women for discretionary foods was greatest in the 51-70 year 
age group. Women scored 7 points higher than men in this age group (24 vs 17 points out 
of 100). 
 
Young women scored higher for healthy fats than young men. The average component 
score was 41 for men and 50 for women aged 18-30 years, and 44 vs 48 for those aged 3150 
years. In other age groups, the healthy fats scores were similar (Table 8). 
Table 8: Diet score and component scores by sex and age group 

Age group (years) 

18-30 31-50 51-70 71+ 
Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female 
(n=20,466) (n=55,616) (n=20,915) (n=60,291) (n=17,853) (n=52,295) (n=2,881) (n=4,951) 
Overall Diet Score 52.0 53.9 51.7 54.0 55.1 58.6 57.7 61.2 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetable 52.1 59.9 49.0 59.4 56.0 63.3 63.3 67.1 
Fruit 53.4 57.5 53.8 53.2 63.5 64.0 72.2 74.7 
Breads and cereals 69.0 65.5 67.3 64.9 71.0 73.6 79.9 82.9 
Meat and alternatives 77.3 71.7 74.1 75.9 78.9 85.7 75.9 84.6 
Dairy and alternatives 36.5 35.4 37.6 39.9 41.1 37.0 35.7 39.1 
Beverages 90.2 93.8 91.4 94.8 90.6 95.8 89.4 95.1 
Discretionary foods 19.3 22.1 18.2 19.9 16.6 24.4 18.5 22.1 
Healthy fats 41.2 49.7 43.8 48.5 50.9 51.4 55.6 54.9 
Variety 61.6 61.5 63.1 63.7 65.7 66.8 67.8 69.7 

Diet Score by weight status 

 
The average diet score decreased slightly as the categorisation of weight status increased – 
although this difference was small. Adults categorised within the healthy weight range 
reported an average diet score of 56 compared to 53 for obese adults (Table 9). 
 
The greatest differences in component scores by weight status were for fruit where obese 
adults scored 12 point lower than healthy weight adults, and discretionary foods where 
obese adults scored 7 points lower than adults within the healthy weight range, and for 
variety which 4 points lower in obese adults – indicating poorer diet quality for obese 
adults for these 3 components. 
 
Conversely obese adults scored 4 points higher for meat and alternatives and 3 points 
higher for dairy foods than healthy weight adults (Table 9), meaning their diets were closer 
to Guidelines in these areas. 
 
Patterns in component scores by weight status were similar for men and women. However, 
obese men also scored lower than healthy weight men for vegetables (3 points lower) and 
breads and cereal (6 points lower) (Table 10). 
CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 11 


Table 9: Diet score and component scores by weight status 

Healthy 
Underweight weight Overweight Obese 
(n=6,863) (n=114,942) (n=66,074) (n=47,107) 
Overall Diet Score 54.9 56.1 54.8 53.1 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetable 59.7 58.7 57.2 56.8 
Fruit 62.6 63.4 60.0 51.8 
Breads and cereals 68.6 71.5 70.3 68.2 
Meat and alternatives 70.4 76.4 78.6 80.5 
Dairy and alternatives 33.7 36.8 38.8 40.0 
Beverages 90.5 93.8 92.7 91.2 
Discretionary foods 26.6 22.9 18.3 16.1 
Healthy fats 46.8 48.7 49.1 48.5 
Variety 63.4 65.9 64.8 61.8 

Table 10: Diet score and component scores by weight status for males 
Underweight Healthy weight Overweight Obese 
(n=1,274) (n=26,400) (n=22,888) (n=11,532) 
Overall Diet Score 52.4 54.9 53.4 51.1 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetable 55.0 54.5 53.7 51.7 
Fruit 60.6 62.8 59.4 50.6 
Breads and cereals 69.4 72.9 69.9 66.6 
Meat and alternatives 71.2 75.3 76.9 78.3 
Dairy and alternatives 35.1 37.0 38.6 39.6 
Beverages 85.9 91.5 90.9 88.8 
Discretionary foods 20.8 21.3 16.5 14.0 
Healthy fats 42.0 46.5 47.6 46.5 
Variety 63.0 65.7 64.3 60.9 

Table 11: Diet score and component scores by weight status for females 

Underweight Healthy weight Overweight Obese 
(n=5,589) (n=88,542) (n=43,186) (n=35,575) 
Overall Diet Score 56.3 57.1 56.7 54.8 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetable 62.4 62.0 61.9 61.2 
Fruit 63.7 63.8 60.7 52.8 
Breads and cereals 68.2 70.4 70.7 69.6 
Meat and alternatives 69.9 77.2 81.1 82.3 
Dairy and alternatives 32.9 36.6 39.1 40.4 
Beverages 93.1 95.6 95.2 93.3 
Discretionary foods 30.0 24.2 20.8 17.9 
Healthy fats 49.5 50.5 51.0 50.2 
Variety 63.6 66.0 65.5 62.6 

CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 12 


4.3 Discretionary foods 
Discretionary foods are not a necessary part of a healthy dietary pattern but are included in the 
Australian Dietary Guidelines to increase variety and enjoyment. Discretionary foods are those 
foods that are high saturated fat, added sugars, added salt, and/or alcohol; and are usually higher 
in energy and low in essential nutrients. The discretionary food group includes, for example, high 
fat takeaway foods, cakes and biscuits, savoury pies and pastries, chocolate and confectionary, 
processed meats, and dairy desserts. The discretionary category also included some beverages 
such as sugar-sweetened beverages and alcohol. The overconsumption of these foods and 
beverages may be associated with an increased risk of obesity and chronic disease. 

Discretionary food component scores 

 
The discretionary food component was the lowest scoring component of diet quality by all 
age and sex groups. 
 
The four subcategories that contributed most to adults’ total discretionary food and 
beverage consumption were alcohol, cakes and biscuits, chocolate and confectionary, and 
takeaway foods. 
 
Alcohol contributed about one third (32%) of total discretionary intake for men, followed 
by 12% for cakes and biscuits, and 10% for takeaway foods. For women, alcohol 
contributed about 28%, cakes and biscuits 17%, and chocolate and confectionary 13% of 
total discretionary intake. 
Table 12: Estimated average weekly serves of discretionary food intake (in serves) and the percentage contribution 
of subcategories of discretionary foods to total intake by sex 

Male Female Total 
(n=62,115) (n=173,153) (n=235,268) 
Total discretionary (serves per week) 33.3 23.7 28.4 
Alcohol 32.4% 28.1% 30.6% 
Cakes and biscuits 12.0% 16.8% 14.0% 
Chocolate and confectionary 7.6% 12.7% 9.9% 
Takeaway foods 10.1% 9.5% 9.9% 
Processed meat 7.6% 5.6% 6.9% 
Sugar sweetened beverages 6.7% 5.6% 6.2% 
Savoury pies and pastries 6.3% 3.8% 5.4% 
Ice cream 5.3% 5.3% 5.2% 
Savoury snacks 4.6% 5.9% 5.2% 
Fried potato products 4.6% 4.1% 4.4% 
Muesli and snack bars 2.9% 2.7% 3.0% 


Males 

Percentage contribution to total intake 

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 
Alcohol 
Cakes and biscuits 
Chocolate and confectionary 
Takeaway foods 
Processed meat 
Sugar sweetened beverages 
Savoury pies and pastries 
Savoury snacks 
Icecream 
Fried potato products 
Muesli and snack bars 


Females 

Percentage contribution to total intake 
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 

Alcohol 
Cakes and biscuits 
Chocolate and confectionary 
Takeaway foods 
Processed meat 
Sugar sweetened beverages 
Savoury pies and pastries 
Savoury snacks 
Icecream 
Fried potato products 
Muesli and snack bars 

Figure 1: Percentage contribution of subcategories of discretionary foods to total intake by sex 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 14 


Differences in discretionary food intake by age group 

 
Australians’ intake of discretionary foods decreased with the increasing age groups, with 
adults aged 50 years reporting almost 5 serves per week more than older adults (Table 13). 
 
Across all age groups, alcohol was the most consumed discretionary item. As a proportion 
of total discretionary intake, alcohol contributed about 17% of total intake in 18-30 year 
old adults and up to 38-39% of total intake in adults aged 51 years or older. 
 
For young adults (18-30 years) the greatest contributors to total discretionary intake were 
alcohol (17%), followed by takeaway foods (15%) and cakes and biscuits (13%). 
 
For adults aged 31-50 years, the greatest contributors to total discretionary intake were 
alcohol (30%), followed by cakes and biscuits (12%), takeaway foods (11%) and chocolate 
and confectionary (11%). 
 
For adults aged 51-70 years and 71+ years, the two greatest contributors to total 
discretionary food intake were alcohol, and cakes and biscuits. 
 
Proportionately, the intake of takeaway foods and sugar sweetened beverages decreased 
across the age groups, whereas the intake of alcohol and cakes and biscuits increased. 
Table 13: Estimated average weekly serves of discretionary food intake (in serves) and the percentage contribution 
of subcategories of discretionary foods to total discretionary intake by age group 

18-30 years 31-50 years 51-70 years 71+ years 
Total discretionary (serves per week) 30.1 29.8 27.0 25.5 
Alcohol 16.7% 29.8% 39.4% 37.9% 
Cakes and biscuits 12.6% 12.4% 14.5% 19.8% 
Chocolate and confectionary 9.5% 10.6% 9.3% 8.2% 
Takeaway foods 15.1% 11.0% 6.2% 4.4% 
Processed meat 9.1% 6.8% 5.4% 5.2% 
Sugar sweetened beverages 8.4% 7.0% 4.7% 3.3% 
Savoury pies and pastries 7.0% 5.2% 4.4% 4.4% 
Ice cream 5.3% 4.5% 5.2% 7.4% 
Savoury snacks 6.0% 5.4% 4.7% 4.4% 
Fried potato products 6.0% 4.5% 3.4% 3.3% 
Muesli and snack bars 4.4% 3.1% 2.3% 1.4% 

Differences in discretionary food intake by occupation 

 
Discretionary food intake varied by occupation, ranging from 23 to 48 serves per week (a 
difference of 25 serves per week or nearly 4 serves per day) (Table 14). 
 
Adults working in the beauty or fashion industry and those in construction had the highest 
average consumption of discretionary items, whereas those working in research and the 
fitness industry reported the lowest consumption of discretionary foods. 
 
Proportionately, alcohol made the greatest contribution to total discretionary intake for all 
adults except students who consumed proportionally more takeaway foods, and cakes and 
CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 15 


biscuits. Those working in the beauty and fashion industry also consumed a higher 
proportion of takeaway foods compared to all other occupations. 

Table 14: Estimated average weekly serves of discretionary food intake (in serves) and the percentage contribution 
of discretionary subcategories to total discretionary intake by occupation 

Occupation 
Total ServesAlcoholCakes and biscuitsChocolate andconfectionaryFried potatoproductsIce creamMuesli and snackbarsProcessed meatSavoury pies andpastriesSavoury snacksSugar sweetenedbeveragesTakeaway foods 
Research 22.9 33.2% 15.7% 10.9% 3.5% 4.8% 3.1% 6.1% 4.8% 4.8% 3.9% 8.7% 
Personal Trainer / Coach 23.7 25.7% 12.2% 9.3% 5.1% 5.5% 5.1% 7.2% 6.3% 4.6% 6.8% 12.2% 
Retired 25.3 39.5% 19.0% 8.3% 3.2% 7.1% 1.6% 5.5% 4.3% 4.3% 3.6% 4.3% 
Health Care (Physical & Mental) 25.3 27.7% 15.4% 12.3% 4.3% 5.1% 3.2% 5.9% 4.7% 5.5% 5.1% 10.7% 
Science / Tech / Programming 25.7 30.4% 12.8% 9.3% 5.1% 4.7% 3.1% 7.0% 5.4% 5.1% 5.8% 10.9% 
Homemaker 25.9 24.7% 18.5% 13.1% 4.2% 5.0% 1.9% 6.6% 4.2% 6.2% 6.9% 8.9% 
Consulting 26.5 37.0% 12.8% 9.1% 3.8% 4.9% 2.6% 6.8% 4.9% 4.9% 4.5% 9.4% 
Architecture / Design 26.6 32.7% 12.8% 8.3% 4.9% 4.5% 3.4% 7.1% 6.0% 4.9% 4.9% 10.9% 
Human Resources Management 26.7 33.7% 11.6% 12.0% 4.9% 4.1% 2.6% 6.0% 4.9% 5.2% 5.6% 10.1% 
Social service 26.7 28.1% 14.6% 12.4% 4.1% 4.9% 2.6% 6.0% 4.9% 5.2% 6.0% 11.2% 
Education 27.0 28.1% 15.2% 11.5% 4.1% 4.8% 3.3% 6.7% 5.2% 5.9% 5.6% 9.6% 
Admin / Clerical / Reception 27.4 28.5% 14.6% 12.4% 4.4% 4.7% 2.9% 6.2% 4.4% 5.5% 6.6% 10.2% 
Accounting / Finance / Banking 27.9 31.9% 12.5% 10.0% 4.7% 5.0% 2.9% 6.5% 4.7% 5.4% 5.7% 10.4% 
Student 27.9 13.6% 14.0% 9.7% 6.5% 6.1% 5.0% 9.7% 6.5% 7.2% 7.9% 14.7% 
Arts/Leisure / Entertainment 28.1 33.8% 12.1% 9.3% 4.6% 4.3% 2.1% 6.4% 5.7% 5.0% 5.3% 10.7% 
News / Information 28.3 36.0% 13.8% 9.5% 4.2% 3.9% 2.5% 5.7% 4.6% 4.9% 4.6% 9.5% 
Politician / Public Servant 28.8 31.3% 12.5% 11.8% 4.5% 4.5% 2.8% 6.9% 5.2% 5.2% 5.2% 10.4% 
Planning (Meeting, Events, etc ) 29.2 34.9% 12.3% 8.9% 4.5% 4.5% 2.7% 6.8% 5.5% 5.5% 4.5% 9.9% 
Management (Senior / Corporate) 29.3 41.0% 10.6% 9.2% 3.8% 4.4% 2.4% 6.1% 4.4% 4.4% 5.1% 8.5% 
Advertisement / PR 29.6 36.1% 10.1% 9.1% 4.4% 4.4% 2.7% 6.4% 5.4% 5.1% 4.4% 12.2% 
Other 31.0 30.6% 12.6% 9.4% 4.2% 4.8% 2.9% 7.1% 5.8% 4.8% 8.1% 10.0% 
Sales / Marketing 31.2 35.3% 10.9% 9.3% 4.2% 3.8% 2.6% 6.4% 4.8% 4.8% 6.7% 10.9% 
Real Estate 33.2 32.8% 10.8% 9.0% 4.5% 5.1% 2.7% 5.7% 6.3% 5.7% 5.7% 11.1% 
Customer Service 33.6 24.4% 12.2% 10.4% 4.8% 4.8% 3.3% 7.4% 5.7% 5.4% 9.5% 12.5% 
Production 35.3 32.0% 11.0% 7.6% 4.2% 5.7% 3.1% 6.8% 7.1% 4.2% 8.8% 9.6% 
Restaurant / Food service 37.0 25.9% 11.1% 8.6% 5.9% 4.6% 2.2% 7.6% 6.2% 4.9% 9.5% 13.5% 
Operations / Logistics 37.4 31.0% 10.4% 7.5% 4.3% 4.8% 3.5% 7.8% 6.7% 4.3% 9.4% 10.7% 
Distribution 37.5 31.5% 10.1% 8.3% 4.8% 4.3% 3.5% 6.9% 6.7% 4.0% 8.5% 11.5% 
Unemployed 39.6 21.5% 12.6% 8.8% 5.6% 5.8% 2.8% 8.1% 8.1% 5.3% 9.3% 12.1% 
Buying / Purchasing 40.0 26.0% 10.0% 8.0% 5.0% 5.5% 3.3% 7.3% 8.5% 5.0% 8.5% 13.8% 
Construction 43.7 31.8% 9.4% 6.6% 4.3% 4.1% 3.4% 7.8% 7.8% 4.3% 8.7% 11.9% 
Beauty / Fashion 48.4 20.5% 12.4% 9.1% 5.6% 6.8% 3.5% 6.6% 8.9% 4.8% 6.0% 16.5% 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 16 


4.4 Diet score over time 
 
Fewer people have completed the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score survey in 2022 and 2023 than 
previous years. 
 
These data suggest that the average diet score has decreased slightly between 2015 and 
2023, from 56 out of 100 in 2015 to 53 out of 100 in 2023. This decrease was evident in 
men and women (Table 15). 
 
The decrease in diet score over time was greatest in older adults (Table 16). The reported 
diet score of adults aged 71+ years decreased from 61 in 2015 to 55 in 2023 (6 point 
decrease). 
Table 15: Diet score by year of survey completion and sex 

Year of survey 
2015 
n=68124 
2016 
n=74932 
2017 
n=26680 
2018 
n=16514 
2019 
n=10554 
2020 
n=21169 
2021 
n=9692 
2022 
n=5162 
2023 
n=2441 
Male 53.6 53.6 53.6 53.4 53.0 52.9 52.0 52.3 51.5 
Female 57.7 56.8 56.1 55.4 54.8 55.2 54.2 54.2 54.4 
All 55.7 55.2 54.9 54.5 53.9 54.1 53.2 53.3 53.0 
*n=weighted count 
Table 16: Diet score by year of survey completion, sex and age group 
Year of survey 
2015 
n=68124 
2016 
n=74932 
2017 
n=26680 
2018 
n=16514 
2019 
n=10554 
2020 
n=21169 
2021 
n=9692 
2022 
n=5162 
2023 
n=2441 
Male 
18-30 52.2 51.4 52.3 53.1 53.5 53.0 51.3 51.4 51.1 
31-50 51.9 51.8 51.6 51.4 51.1 50.4 50.5 51.4 50.7 
51-70 55.3 55.8 54.7 54.3 54.0 54.3 52.3 53.4 53.1 
71+ 57.9 57.9 59.5 58.1 55.1 56.2 56.6 53.9 50.9 
Female 
18-30 55.0 53.8 53.7 53.9 53.7 53.2 52.3 52.5 51.1 
31-50 55.2 54.3 53.4 52.9 51.8 52.8 52.1 52.3 52.9 
51-70 60.2 59.5 58.4 57.1 56.6 57.2 55.8 55.7 56.8 
71+ 62.7 62.3 61.8 60.9 59.5 59.8 58.8 57.9 57.8 
Total 
18-30 53.6 52.6 53.0 53.5 53.6 53.1 51.8 52.0 51.1 
31-50 53.6 53.1 52.5 52.2 51.5 51.6 51.3 51.9 51.8 
51-70 57.8 57.7 56.6 55.7 55.3 55.8 54.1 54.6 55.0 
71+ 60.6 60.3 60.8 59.6 57.5 58.2 57.8 56.1 54.6 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 17 


 
The diet quality component scores which have changed most over time were healthy fats 
(which decreased by 8 points between 2015 to 2023), followed by fruit (decreased by 7 
points), breads and cereals (decreased by about 6 points), and dairy and alternatives 
(decreased by about 6 points) (Table 17). 
 
The scores for meat and alternatives increased slightly between 2015 and 2023, mainly in 
men (Table 18). 
 
The average score for discretionary foods did not change much over time overall, however 
when examined by sex, the score for women decreased by 3 points out of 100 between 
2015 and 2023, meaning on average women reported to eat more discretionary food in 
2023 compared to 2015 (Table 19). 
Table 17: Component scores by year of survey completion 

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 
Year of survey n=68124 n=74932 n=26680 n=16514 n=10554 n=21169 n=9692 n=5162 n=2441 
Overall score (out of 100) 
55.7 55.2 54.9 54.5 53.9 54.1 53.2 53.3 53.0 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetables 56.9 58.6 58.6 56.8 54.8 58.4 57.6 56.9 56.6 
Fruit 61.1 60.3 59.0 57.1 58.1 57.8 56.3 56.0 54.3 
Bread & cereal 71.8 70.8 69.6 68.7 68.8 67.8 66.0 66.5 65.9 
Meat & alt 75.6 78.3 79.1 79.4 77.9 79.3 79.2 79.9 80.2 
Dairy & alt 40.2 37.9 38.4 37.6 36.2 35.2 34.7 34.7 34.2 
Beverages 91.5 93.2 92.8 93.7 93.5 94.6 93.7 94.0 93.8 
Discretionary 21.5 19.7 19.8 20.9 20.8 19.3 18.0 19.0 19.9 
Healthy fats 51.5 49.0 47.5 45.9 45.2 45.5 45.9 44.4 43.8 
Variety 65.4 64.9 64.3 63.4 63.2 63.7 62.3 62.5 61.4 

Table 18: Component scores by year of survey completion for males 

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 
Year of survey n=18961 n=22000 n=6486 n=3670 n=2307 n=4090 n=2431 n=1454 n=716 
Overall score (out of 100) 
53.7 53.6 53.6 53.4 53.0 52.9 52.0 52.3 51.5 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetables 51.8 54.4 55.3 53.3 51.3 54.2 53.5 53.5 53.5 
Fruit 59.5 59.0 59.1 56.2 58.4 56.9 55.7 55.9 53.3 
Bread & cereal 71.6 71.0 69.9 68.5 68.4 67.4 65.8 65.4 63.9 
Meat & alt 74.3 76.9 77.6 78.4 77.0 78.3 78.2 79.7 80.6 
Dairy & alt 39.9 37.7 38.5 38.2 36.2 35.2 35.3 36.1 34.2 
Beverages 88.9 91.2 91.0 91.8 91.3 93.0 92.3 92.7 91.7 
Discretionary 18.1 17.2 17.7 20.9 21.1 18.9 16.9 18.0 17.8 
Healthy fats 49.7 46.8 45.3 43.3 42.7 43.0 43.8 41.6 42.2 
Variety 64.6 64.5 64.0 62.9 62.9 62.9 61.9 62.4 60.3 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 18 


Table 19: Component scores by year of survey completion for females 

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 
Year of survey n=49163 n=52932 n=20194 n=12844 n=8247 n=17079 n=7261 n=3708 n=1725 
Overall score (out of 100) 
57.7 56.8 56.1 55.4 54.8 55.2 54.2 54.2 54.4 
Component score (expressed out of 100) 
Vegetables 61.8 62.7 61.7 60.1 58.2 62.3 61.5 60.1 59.5 
Fruit 62.7 61.5 58.9 57.9 57.8 58.6 56.8 56.1 55.3 
Bread & cereal 71.9 70.7 69.4 69.0 69.1 68.2 66.3 67.6 67.9 
Meat & alt 76.9 79.6 80.5 80.4 78.7 80.1 80.1 80.1 79.8 
Dairy & alt 40.5 38.1 38.2 37.1 36.2 35.1 34.1 33.3 34.3 
Beverages 94.0 95.1 94.6 95.5 95.6 96.1 95.1 95.2 95.8 
Discretionary 24.7 22.0 21.7 21.0 20.4 19.8 19.0 20.0 21.8 
Healthy fats 53.2 51.2 49.6 48.4 47.5 47.9 47.8 47.1 45.3 
Variety 66.1 65.3 64.6 63.9 63.5 64.4 62.8 62.6 62.5 

 
The estimated average serves of discretionary foods increased by 10 serves per week 
between 2015 to 2023. 
 
As a proportion of total intake, the relative consumption of takeaway foods increased, and 
alcohol decreased between 2015 and 2023 (Table 20). 
Table 20: Estimated average weekly serves of discretionary food intake (in serves) and the percentage contribution 
of subcategories of discretionary foods to total intake by year of survey completion 

Year of survey 
2015 
n=68124 
2016 
n=74932 
2017 
n=26680 
2018 
n=16514 
2019 
n=10554 
2020 
n=21169 
2021 
n=9692 
2022 
n=5162 
2023 
n=2441 
Total Disc 26.9 27.7 29.7 30.7 31.4 29.9 31.9 29.5 37.1 
(Serves per week) 
Takeaway 9.1% 9.9% 10.6% 10.5% 10.9% 10.1% 11.2% 12.6% 14.0% 
Alcohol 31.5% 32.2% 29.7% 27.9% 25.4% 30.4% 25.0% 22.7% 17.4% 
Cakes & biscuit 14.6% 13.4% 12.7% 13.5% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.0% 13.8% 
Choc & conf 9.9% 9.9% 9.4% 9.8% 10.0% 9.6% 9.2% 10.0% 10.0% 
Process meat 6.5% 6.6% 7.3% 7.1% 6.7% 6.8% 7.9% 8.3% 7.0% 
Savoury snacks 4.7% 5.1% 5.4% 5.9% 5.8% 5.6% 5.7% 6.2% 5.8% 
SSBs 7.0% 5.8% 6.6% 5.9% 6.3% 5.4% 6.4% 5.7% 6.8% 
Ice cream 4.9% 5.1% 5.9% 5.5% 6.5% 5.2% 5.9% 5.2% 7.5% 
Fried potato 3.9% 4.3% 4.5% 4.8% 4.9% 4.2% 5.3% 5.7% 5.8% 
Savoury Pies 4.9% 5.1% 5.2% 6.2% 5.8% 5.6% 6.4% 6.4% 8.1% 
Snack bars 3.1% 2.8% 2.8% 3.2% 3.6% 2.8% 2.9% 3.3% 3.8% 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 19 


4.5 Variety of vegetables at the main meal 
Research suggests that consuming a greater variety of vegetables is associated with better diet 
quality, nutrient adequacy, and a healthier lifestyle. One of the questions in the CSIRO Healthy 
Diet Score survey asks, “How often would your evening or main meal include three or more 
different vegetables (including cooked, raw and salad vegetables)?”. Interestingly, these results 
showed a similar pattern to the overall diet score results. 

 
44% of Australians reported to always consume 3 or more different vegetables at the 
evening or main meal, 37% usually do, 16% sometimes, and less than 3% never do. 
 
More woman than men reported to always have 3 or more different vegetables at the 
main meal (47% vs 40%). Likewise, more older than younger adults (54% vs 38%), and more 
adults classified as healthy weight than obese (47% vs 39%) reported to always have 3 or 
more different vegetables at the main meal. 
 
The proportion of adults reporting to always have 3 or more different types of vegetables 
at the main meal generally trended downward, from 47% in 2016 to 35% in 2023. 
Table 21: Proportion of survey respondents reporting to include 3 or more different vegetables at the evening/main 
meal by demographic subgroup and year of survey completion 

Usually Sometimes 

Always Don’t eat vegetables 

(two thirds (half the Never 

(all the time) with main meal 

of the time) 

time) 

Sex 
Male 40.3% 37.2% 18.7% 3.0% 0.8% 
Female 47.4% 37.1% 13.7% 1.5% 0.3% 
Total 43.9% 37.1% 16.2% 2.2% 0.6% 
Age group 
18-30 years 38.1% 37.9% 19.6% 3.3% 1.1% 
31-50 years 39.8% 38.9% 18.3% 2.4% 0.5% 
51-70 years 48.3% 36.4% 13.5% 1.5% 0.3% 
71+ years 54.0% 33.0% 11.2% 1.5% 0.3% 
Weight status 
Underweight 46.5% 33.2% 16.1% 3.0% 1.2% 
Healthy weight 46.7% 35.9% 14.8% 2.1% 0.5% 
Overweight 43.4% 37.9% 16.1% 2.0% 0.5% 
Obese 38.6% 38.8% 19.0% 2.8% 0.7% 
Year of survey 
2015 44.3% 38.4% 14.9% 2.0% 0.4% 
2016 46.7% 36.3% 14.8% 1.8% 0.5% 
2017 44.4% 36.5% 16.5% 2.1% 0.6% 
2018 41.5% 36.5% 18.2% 3.0% 0.8% 
2019 39.4% 37.2% 19.2% 3.4% 0.8% 
2020 40.6% 36.9% 18.9% 2.8% 0.8% 
2021 37.3% 36.9% 22.0% 3.0% 0.9% 
2022 36.0% 37.9% 20.8% 4.3% 1.0% 
2023 34.9% 36.7% 22.1% 4.3% 1.9% 


Appendix 

List of published scientific journal articles 

 
Hendrie, Rebuli, Golley (2017) Reliability and relative validity of a diet index score for adults 
derived from a self-reported short food survey. Nutrition & Dietetics, 74: 291-297. 
 
Hendrie, Baird, Golley, Noakes (2017) The CSIRO Healthy Diet Score: An online survey to 
estimate compliance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Nutrients, 9, 47; doi:10.3390 
 
Hendrie, Rebuli, Golley, Noakes (2018) Adjustment factors can improve estimates of food 
group intake assessed using a short dietary assessment instrument. Journal of the 
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 118, 10; doi.org/10.1016 
 
Hendrie, Golley, Noakes (2018) Compliance with dietary guidelines varies by weight status: 
A cross-sectional study of Australian adults. Nutrients, 10, 197; doi:10.3390 
CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 21 


Weighting factors applied for analyses (calculated for each sex/age groups to be representative of 
those characteristics in the 2021 census) 

Age group (years) Male Female 
18-30 1.253 0.452 
31-50 1.929 0.695 
51-70 1.870 0.675 
71 plus 5.335 3.668 

Weighting factors applied for analyses by year of survey complete (calculated for each sex/age 
groups within each discrete year to be representative of those characteristics in the 2016 census 
for years 2015 to 2018 and the 2021 census for years 2019 to 2023) 

Year Age group (years) Male Female 
2015 18-30 1.580 0.515 
31-50 1.719 0.656 
51-70 1.574 0.712 
71 + 4.090 4.033 

2016 18-30 1.190 0.418 
31-50 1.668 0.761 
51-70 1.753 0.817 
71 + 4.851 4.593 


2017 18-30 
31-50 
51-70 
71 + 
1.451 
2.030 
2.158 
4.581 
0.546 
0.638 
0.615 
2.908 
2018 18-30 1.224 0.528 
31-50 2.579 0.613 
51-70 2.798 0.598 
71 + 5.536 3.611 
2019 18-30 1.054 0.411 
31-50 
51-70 
71 + 
2.682 
3.307 
7.835 
0.660 
0.646 
4.053 
2020 18-30 
31-50 
51-70 
2.086 
2.933 
2.075 
0.725 
0.663 
0.433 
71 + 4.641 1.735 

2021 18-30 1.033 0.482 
31-50 2.803 0.834 
51-70 2.026 0.563 
71 + 4.622 1.612 


2022 18-30 0.576 0.273 
31-50 3.328 0.975 
51-70 4.284 1.136 
71 + 8.225 6.130 
2023 18-30 0.559 0.253 
31-50 2.553 1.071 
51-70 5.499 1.387 
71 + 12.267 7.850 

*Census years greyed out 


Unweighted cell counts for survey response by sex, age group and year of completion. 

Unweighted 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Total 
Male 
18-30 years 4937 7208 2105 1545 1091 1106 1022 976 476 20466 
31-50 years 6845 7758 2270 1106 675 1238 593 266 164 20915 
51-70 years 6241 6164 1783 851 453 1448 679 171 63 17853 
71+ years 938 870 328 168 88 298 137 41 13 2881 
Total 18961 22000 6486 3670 2307 4090 2431 1454 716 62115 
Female 
18-30 years 15041 20402 5556 3556 2745 3120 2147 2018 1031 55616 
31-50 years 18509 17568 7458 4806 2848 5684 2069 943 406 60291 
51-70 years 14442 13831 6544 4165 2453 7333 2581 682 264 52295 
71+ years 1171 1131 636 317 201 942 464 65 24 4951 
Total 49163 52932 20194 12844 8247 17079 7261 3708 1725 173153 
All 
18-30 years 19978 27610 7661 5101 3836 4226 3169 2994 1507 76082 
31-50 years 25354 25326 9728 5912 3523 6922 2662 1209 570 81206 
51-70 years 20683 19995 8327 5016 2906 8781 3260 853 327 70148 
71+ years 2109 2001 964 485 289 1240 601 106 37 7832 
Total 68124 74932 26680 16514 10554 21169 9692 5162 2441 235268 
Weighted cell counts for survey response by sex, age group and year of completion. 
Unweighted 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Total 
Male 
18-30 years 7800 8578 3054 1891 1150 2307 1056 562 266 26664 
31-50 years 11767 12940 4608 2852 1810 3631 1662 885 419 40575 
51-70 years 9823 10805 3848 2381 1498 3005 1376 733 346 33815 
71+ years 3836 4220 1503 930 689 1383 633 337 159 13692 
Total 33227 36544 13013 8055 5148 10326 4727 2517 1191 114746 
Female 
18-30 years 7746 8528 3034 1878 1128 2262 1035 551 261 26422 
31-50 years 12142 13369 4758 2946 1880 3768 1726 919 435 41943 
51-70 years 10283 11300 4025 2491 1585 3175 1453 775 366 35452 
71+ years 4723 5195 1849 1145 815 1634 748 398 188 16695 
Total 34893 38392 13666 8459 5407 10840 4961 2644 1250 120513 
All 
18-30 years 15547 17106 6088 3769 2278 4569 2091 1113 527 53087 
31-50 years 23908 26310 9366 5798 3690 7400 3388 1805 854 82518 
51-70 years 20106 22105 7872 4872 3083 6180 2829 1507 713 69267 
71+ years 8559 9415 3352 2075 1504 3017 1381 736 348 30387 
Total 68120 74936 26679 16514 10555 21166 9688 5161 2441 235259 

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023 | 23 


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