Eight of the ten leading causes of death in the US are nutritionally related. Consumers want physicians to provide nutrition counseling, and a majority of physicians consider nutrition education to be an important role. In order for physicians to provide patients with relevant dietary recommendations, the current eating pattern status of patients needs to be assessed. Given the busy health care practice environment, a dietary assessment tool for patients must meet certain criteria including: be brief and inexpensive; be easily self-administered by patients; target nutritional issues that are national priorities; and provide results compatible with immediate patient feedback, in-office evaluation and counseling by health care providers. Traditional dietary assessment methods such as food records, 24-hour recalls and food frequency questionnaires are too difficult, expensive and time-consuming for clinical use. Thus, there is a need for diet assessment tools that can be administered and evaluated quickly and easily in clinical settings. In response, the Nutrition Academic Award has developed a tool to aid physicians in performing a brief dietary assessment to supplement the standard medical history and physical examination. The tool addresses general dietary issues that are national nutrition priorities for adults according to the US Dietary Guidelines and National Health Objectives for the Year 2010. It has a corresponding key to help physicians discuss patients’ results, counsel and refer them appropriately. Accompanying patient education materials are also being developed. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the development and pilot-testing of the tool and discuss its usefulness in clinical settings.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Nutrition, Assessments
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.