Practical Tools for Assessing Diet Quality in Clinical Settings

AbstractPurpose of reviewDiet is closely linked to overweight/obesity and risk of cardiovascular disease. Clinical guidelines recommend behavioral counseling to promote healthy diet during clinical encounters for patients with overweight/obesity or other CVD risk factors. This review summarizes the tools available to aid clinicians in quickly assessing and addressing diet quality in clinical settings.Recent FindingsFewer than 25% of physician office visits for adults with obesity include dietary counseling due to time constraints, lack of training in discussing nutrition with patients, and lack of resources for referral. The American Heart Association identifies rapid diet screener tools as one way to address these barriers, advocating for screeners that include clinical decision support, incorporate actionable steps for improvement, and can be integrated in electronic medical record systems. Several potentially useful tools have been developed to help clinicians without nutritional training rapidly assess patients ’ dietary practices and identify suggestions for change.SummaryDietary screening and counseling in primary care can only be successful if doctors feel knowledgeable about and comfortable with giving individualized nutrition advice. While a number of validated rapid screening tools have been developed for clinical use, no single preferred tool exists; rather, clinicians should take into account the cultural preferences and dietary patterns of their patient base in...

Source: Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports - July 8, 2021 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research