Validation of a Rapid Method to Assess Habitual Beverage Intake Patterns

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Dietary Assessment Methods
• Public Health

Background:

• The Healthy Beverage Index (HBI) evaluates beverage consumption patterns but requires extensive dietary data, limiting its practical application.
• Traditional methods like 24-hour dietary recalls are time-consuming and resource-intensive for HBI assessment.
• The BEVQ-15 questionnaire offers a potentially faster alternative for assessing beverage intake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the comparative validity of the HBI-Q, derived from the BEVQ-15, against traditional HBI scoring methods using dietary recalls.
• To determine if the HBI-Q can serve as a rapid and reliable tool for measuring HBI scores in adults.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 404 adults in southwest Virginia (2012-2016).
• Participants completed three 24-hour dietary recalls and the BEVQ-15 questionnaire.
• HBI scores were calculated using both methods and compared using paired t-tests, correlations, and Bland-Altman analysis.

Main Results:

• Mean HBI scores were comparable: 63.7 (HBI-Q) vs. 67.3 (recalls), with a mean difference of 3.6 (p ≤ 0.001).
• A significant correlation (r = 0.63) was observed between HBI-Q and recall-derived scores (p ≤ 0.001).
• Bland-Altman analysis indicated 92% agreement between the two methods for total HBI scores.

Conclusions:

• The HBI-Q, utilizing the BEVQ-15, demonstrates strong comparative validity against traditional dietary recalls for assessing HBI scores.
• This rapid assessment method significantly reduces the time and resources needed, increasing the practical utility of the HBI.
• The HBI-Q facilitates efficient evaluation of beverage patterns, enabling targeted feedback for health improvement.