A short screener is valid for assessing Mediterranean diet adherence among older Spanish men and women.

Identifier:  PC:3184

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC3184

Authors:  Jordi Salas-Salvado; Helmut Schröder; Montserrat Fito; Ramon Estruch; Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez; Dolores Corella; Rosa Lamuela-Raventos; Emilio Ros; Itziar Salaverria; Miquel Fiol; Jose Lapetra; Ernest Vinyoles; Enrique Gomez-Gracia; Carlos Lahoz; Lluis Serra-Majem; Xavier Pinto; Valentina Ruiz-Gutierrez; Maria-Isabel Covas

Abstract:
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.