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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #366081
Research Project: Longitudinal Analysis of Diet Quality, Health Outcomes and Mortality and Predictors of Living to Become a Centenarian

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Validation of a diet quality screening tool for use in the oldest old

Author
item LIU, YI-HSUAN - Pennsylvania State University
item GAO, XIANG - Pennsylvania State University
item MITCHELL, DIANE - Pennsylvania State University
item WOOD, G. CRAIG - Geisinger Medical Center
item BAILEY, REGAN - Purdue University
item STILL, CHRISTOPHER - Geisinger Medical Center
item JENSEN, GORDON - University Of Vermont College Of Medicine

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2019
Publication Date: 5/3/2019
Citation: Liu, Y., Gao, X., Mitchell, D., Wood, G., Bailey, R., Still, C., Jensen, G. 2019. Validation of a diet quality screening tool for use in the oldest old. Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics. 38(2):196-204.

Interpretive Summary: Problem Statement: Older adults are often at high risk of having low diet quality due to age-related metabolic changes. Early detection of older adults who have low diet quality can help improve overall health outcomes and quality of life. However, the role of diet quality on health outcomes among the oldest old (aged = 80 years) is relatively under-studied due to the lack of a validated dietary screening tool. Research Accomplishment: We performed a validation analysis of a dietary screening tool (DST) which was developed for older adults among the oldest old and found that the DST is a valid measure of diet quality in the oldest old. Research Contribution: In our study, we observed that the DST provides an easy to administer and simple approach to assess overall diet quality in this advanced age population and may be used to further examine the relationships between diet quality and health outcomes in the oldest old.

Technical Abstract: The oldest old (aged greater than or equal to80 years) are often the population subgroup at high nutritional risk due to age-related metabolic changes. We performed a validation analysis of a dietary screening tool (DST) which was developed for older adults among the oldest old. We examined dietary intakes using three 24-hour dietary recalls and the DST among 122 participants (aged 82–97) of the Geisinger Rural Aging Study. DST scores were compared with the Health Eating Index (HEI)-2015 scores, which were calculated based on three-day dietary recalls. Pearson correlations were used to characterize concurrent validity and Bland-Altman plots were used to identify potential bias. DST scores were significantly correlated with HEI scores (adjusted r=0.68; p<0.001) in an age- and sex-adjusted model. Those within the not-at-risk DST group had significantly higher HEI scores (adjusted means = 79.6 ± 3.68) compared with those who were in the at-risk (adjusted means = 51.2 ± 1.56) and the possibly-at-risk (adjusted means = 66.3 ± 1.79) groups (p-trend < 0.001). The DST appears to be a valid measure of diet quality in the oldest old when compared with the HEI and may be a potential tool to assess overall diet quality in this population.