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."/>
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Table 2 Dietary data for the study group

From: Validation of the MEDFICTS dietary questionnaire: A clinical tool to assess adherence to American Heart Association dietary fat intake guidelines

Dietary Data Male (N = 131) Female (N = 33) Total (N = 164)
MEDFICTS Data:    
   Diet Group Distribution (%)*    
High fat diet 19.8 9.1 17.7
Step 1 diet 44.3 39.4 43.3
Step 2 diet 35.9 51.5 39.0
   Total MEDFICTS Score 49 ± 27** 41 ± 27 48 ± 27
Block Dietary Data:    
   Total Calories 1576 ± 674 1321 ± 530 1525 ± 654
   % fat 35.8 ± 14.0 34.4 ± 1.0 35.5 ± 13.0
   % saturated fat 12.7 ± 0.4 12.2 ± 0.4 12.6 ± 0.4
   Cholesterol (mg/dl) 283 ± 311 201 ± 98 267 ± 283
  1. * MEDFICTS Diet Groups: High fat diet group: MEDFICTS score >70 Step 1 diet group: MEDFICTS score: 40–70 <30% fat, <10% saturated fat, <300 mg/dl cholesterol Step 2 diet group: MEDFICTS score <40 <30% fat, <7% saturated fat, <200 mg/dl cholesterol Data shown are means ± standard deviations.
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Nutrition Journal

ISSN: 1475-2891

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