Relative validity and reproducibility of dietary quality scores from a short diet screener in a multi-ethnic Asian population

• Published in: Public health nutrition Vol. 21; no. 15; pp. 2735 - 2743
• Main Authors: Whitton, Clare, Ho, Jolene Chien Yee, Rebello, Salome A, van Dam, Rob M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; alpha-linolenic acid; Asian People - statistics & numerical data; Assessment and Methodology; beta-cryptoxanthin; Biomarkers; Carotenoids; Chains; Chronic illnesses; Diabetes; Diet; Diet Surveys - methods; Diet Surveys - statistics & numerical data; Diet, Healthy - methods; Diet, Healthy - statistics & numerical data; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet; Disease; Eating behavior; Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data; Female; Food; Food groups; Food selection; Fruits; healthy eating habits; Humans; Hypertension; Hypothesis testing; Isoflavones; lactones; Legumes; Linolenic acid; Male; Mediterranean diet; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; nationalities and ethnic groups; Nutrition research; nutritional adequacy; omega-3 fatty acids; Population; Quality; Quality assessment; Reproducibility; Reproducibility of Results; Research Paper; Seafood; Singapore; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Urine; Validity; Vegetables; Young Adult; Singapore; Asia; Validation; Multi-ethnic; Diet screener; Asia; 24 h dietary recall; Biomarkers; Diet quality
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980018001830

Short screeners for assessing dietary quality are lacking in Asia. We recently developed a short thirty-seven-item diet screener (DS). The present study aimed to evaluate reproducibility and relative validity of the DS in assessing a priori dietary quality indices (DQI; i.e. the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMed) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet) and intakes of selected foods. DS administration and biomarker measurement took place twice within a 4-month interval. A 163-item FFQ was administered one month after the second DS administration. Singapore, a multi-ethnic urban Asian country. Singapore residents (n 161) aged 18-79 years, of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity. Reproducibility coefficients for the two DS were 0·71 (DQI) and 0·65 (food groups). Correlations (ρ) between mean DS and FFQ DQI scores were 0·51 (AHEI-2010), 0·50 (aMed) and 0·61 (DASH; all P<0·05). Cohen's weighted kappa indicated moderate agreement between the two measures (κ w=0·48-0·58). DS DQI scores were associated with concentrations of β-cryptoxanthin (AHEI-2010, ρ=0·26; P<0·05), odd-chain SFA (aMed, ρ=0·24; DASH, ρ=0·25; both P<0·05), and enterolactone, total carotenoids, PUFA and α-linolenic acid (all scores, ρ=0·17-0·30; all P<0·05). Scores were not associated with isoflavone or long-chain n-3 PUFA concentrations. A short screener can be used to assess DQI with good reproducibility and relative validity compared with a longer FFQ in an Asian population.