[The usefulness of Moynihan questionnaire in the evaluation of knowledge on healthy diet of patients undergoing cardiology rehabilitation]. / L'utilizzo del Questionario di Moynihan per la valutazione delle conoscenze alimentari nei pazienti sottoposti a riabilitazione dopo intervento cardiochirurgico.

BACKGROUND: The aim of study was to test the usefulness of Moynihan questionnaire in the evaluation of knowledge on healthy diet of patients undergoing cardiology rehabilitation. METHODS: We enrolled 51 patients (pts): 41 men and 10 women, mean age 67.97 +/-11.2 years. The case study included: 21 pts that underwent coronary bypass surgery, 16 pts replaced plastic tube, 14 pts had surgery for the other reasons. All pts underwent nutritional investigation by a dietitian. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were detected and, by the end, the Moynihan questionnaire was administrated. Pts underwent nutritional coaching, and questionnaire and dietary assessment were rechecked after 3 months. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean Questionnaire score was 22.4 +/- 3.2 points, decreased to 20.6 +/-3.1 points after 3 months (p<0.05). A detailed analysis of the questions showed that the major informations gaps were related to consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of fat and salt. In addition pts have acquired more general knowledge about food composition. CONCLUSIONS: The Moynihan questionnaire is an useful instrument of evaluation of dietary knowledge even in selected patients population. In the present study involving patients after cardiac surgery the main difficulties were related to high age of pts, the low cultural level and, mainly, to the post-surgery stress. However, an increase of correct answers as well as an increased knowledge about food composition were detected after educational intervention performed by the dietitian.

The Fatty Liver Index: a simple and accurate predictor of hepatic steatosis in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Fatty liver (FL) is the most frequent liver disease in Western countries. We used data from the Dionysos Nutrition & Liver Study to develop a simple algorithm for the prediction of FL in the general population. METHODS: 216 subjects with and 280 without suspected liver disease were studied. FL was diagnosed by ultrasonography and alcohol intake was assessed using a 7-day diary. Bootstrapped stepwise logistic regression was used to identify potential predictors of FL among 13 variables of interest [gender, age, ethanol intake, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, sum of 4 skinfolds, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol]. Potential predictors were entered into stepwise logistic regression models with the aim of obtaining the most simple and accurate algorithm for the prediction of FL. RESULTS: An algorithm based on BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides and GGT had an accuracy of 0.84 (95%CI 0.81-0.87) in detecting FL. We used this algorithm to develop the "fatty liver index" (FLI), which varies between 0 and 100. A FLI < 30 (negative likelihood ratio = 0.2) rules out and a FLI > or = 60 (positive likelihood ratio = 4.3) rules in fatty liver. CONCLUSION: FLI is simple to obtain and may help physicians select subjects for liver ultrasonography and intensified lifestyle counseling, and researchers to select patients for epidemiologic studies. Validation of FLI in external populations is needed before it can be employed for these purposes.