A Short Screener Is Valid for Assessing Mediterranean Diet Adherence among Older Spanish Men and Women

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 141; no. 6; pp. 1140 - 1145
• Main Authors: Schröder, Helmut, Fitó, Montserrat, Estruch, Ramón, Martínez-González, Miguel A., Corella, Dolores, Salas-Salvadó, Jordi, Lamuela-Raventós, Rosa, Ros, Emilio, Salaverría, Itziar, Fiol, Miquel, Lapetra, José, Vinyoles, Ernest, Gómez-Gracia, Enrique, Lahoz, Carlos, Serra-Majem, Lluis, Pintó, Xavier, Ruiz-Gutierrez, Valentina, Covas, María-Isabel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Nutrition 01.06.2011
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; blood; Blood Glucose; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Blood lipids; body mass index; Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Artery Disease - prevention & control; Coronary diseases; coronary vessels; correlation; Cuina mediterrània; Diet Surveys; Diet, Mediterranean; Espanya; Factors de risc en les malalties; Female; glucose; Humans; Linear Models; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Lípids de la sang; Malalties coronàries; Male; Medicina preventiva; Mediterranean cooking; Mediterranean diet; men; metabolism; Middle Aged; Older people; Patient Compliance; Persones grans; prevention & control; Preventive Medicine; Questionnaires; Qüestionaris; regression analysis; risk; Risk Factors; Risk factors in diseases; Spain; Sucre en l'organisme; Sugar in the body; Surveys and Questionnaires; Waist Circumference; women; Spain
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.3945/jn.110.135566

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDAS-derived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman's analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P < 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P < 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P < 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice.