70 [high fat diet]) was negligible (kappa statistic = 0.036). The MF was accurate at the extremes of fat intake, but could not reliably identify the 3 AHA dietary classifications. Alternative MF cutpoints of <30 (Step 2), 30–50 (Step 1), and >50 (high fat diet) were highly sensitive (96%), but had low specificity (46%) for a high fat diet. ROC curve analysis identified that a MF score cutoff of 38 provided optimal sensitivity 75% and specificity 72%, and had modest agreement (kappa = 0.39, P < 0.001) with the FFQ for the identification of subjects with a high fat diet. Conclusions The MEDFICTS questionnaire is most suitable as a tool to identify high fat diets, rather than discriminate AHA Step 1 and Step 2 diets. Currently recommended MEDFICTS cutpoints are too high, leading to overestimation of dietary quality. A cutpoint of 38 appears to be providing optimal identification of patients who do not meet AHA dietary guidelines for fat intake."/>
Variable | Value* |
---|---|
Demographic Characteristics: | |
Male gender (%) | 79.9 |
Age (yr) | 42 ± 2 |
Caucasian (%) | 65.9 |
College educated (%) | 78.4 |
Cardiac Risk Factors: | |
Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 203 ± 34 |
LDL (mg/dl) | 130 ± 33 |
HDL (mg/dl) | 52 ± 14 |
Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 117 ± 64 |
BMI | 27 ± 4 |
Waist girth (cm) | 92 ± 10 |