Presentation Abstract

A Simple Review of Dietary Intake Records Accurately Estimates Nutrition Quality of Diets of HIV Infected Men. BJ Scott, R Schnaible, TA Larson, S Navarro, RL Brunner, ST St. Jeor. University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Reno.

Objective: To examine the utility of a simplified method of reviewing food records in the evaluation of the dietary intake of HIV infected persons in an ambulatory community based clinic.

Methods: Subjects were 23 relatively healthy HIV-infected men (mean age=40.7±11.25 years.). Dietary information was obtained from detailed food records (mean=6.5±1.0 days), and nutrient intake was analyzed by computer. The records were also reviewed more simply using the USDA Food Guide Pyramid to count the # of daily servings from each of the food groups, and scores from the new Healthy Eating Index were calculated. The # of meals and snacks and # of times eating out were counted for each day. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations (SPSS) to examine relationships between nutrient intake from the more time-intensive computerized analysis and measures obtained from simple review of the food records. In addition, CD4 count, financial problems related to food (yes/no), and food purchasing control (yes/no) were examined.

Results: The mean # of servings per day of grains, milk, and meat were significantly correlated with intake of calories, protein (all p².005), riboflavin, niacin, and calcium (all p².05). Servings of vegetables, fruit, and bread were correlated with folate, vitamin C, and iron, respectively (p².05). The calculation of a Healthy Eating score based on the recommended # of servings per day and on food group variety did not yield further information about nutrient intake. Analysis of the frequency of eating (total meals & snacks) revealed significant correlations (p².05) with intake of many key nutrients. No significant differences in food intake based on client characteristics were found, but clients who do their own grocery shopping tended to have higher intakes of all food groups and clients who have enough money to buy food ate more fruit, milk, and meat.

Conclusion: These preliminary data indicate that quick review of food records using the Food Guide Pyramid and counting the frequency of meals and snacks over a week can yield important information about clients' intake of key nutrients. Continuing investigation is needed to determine the practicality of this method in a primary care and prevention setting and to evaluate whether it is sufficiently sensitive to identify clients at risk for nutrition deficiencies.

Contact: Barbara J Scott, Department of Pediatrics, 411 W. 2nd St., Reno, NV 89503 USA. Telephone: 775.784.6170, Fax: 775.784.4828, email: scottbj@unr.edu.

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