Validation of the HeartDiet questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Cardiovascular Health
• Dietary Assessment

Background:

• Accurate dietary assessment is vital for managing dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease (CHD).
• Existing dietary assessment methods, such as food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), can be complex and time-consuming.
• There is a need for efficient and reliable tools to evaluate habitual food intake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the novel HeartDiet food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
• To compare the HeartDiet FFQ against a validated 198-item FFQ and relevant biomarkers.
• To assess the utility of HeartDiet for evaluating heart-healthy dietary patterns.

Main Methods:

• A randomized study involving 200 participants (100 healthy, 100 with CHD).
• Participants completed both the HeartDiet FFQ and a 198-item FFQ.
• Biomarkers (serum β-carotene, serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) were analyzed in a subset of 50 healthy participants.
• Statistical analysis included scatter plots and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Main Results:

• The HeartDiet FFQ showed significant correlations with the 198-item FFQ for intake of fruit (ρ = 0.70), vegetables (ρ = 0.54), fish (ρ = 0.75), and saturated fatty acids (ρ = -0.51).
• Significant correlations were observed between HeartDiet and biomarkers for fruit/vegetable intake (serum β-carotene, ρ = 0.59) and fish intake (serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, ρ = 0.45).

Conclusions:

• The HeartDiet FFQ is a practical, easy-to-use tool for dietary assessment.
• It demonstrates good alignment with a semi-quantitative FFQ and biomarkers.
• HeartDiet can effectively describe and monitor heart-healthy dietary patterns.