Challenges and benefits of using the HeartDiet food frequency questionnaire in cardiac rehabilitation practice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A heart-healthy diet is an important component of secondary prevention in ischemic heart disease. The Danish Health Authority recommends using the validated 19-item food frequency questionnaire HeartDiet in cardiac rehabilitation practice to assess patients' need for dietary interventions, and HeartDiet has been included in national electronic patient-reported outcome instruments for cardiac rehabilitation. This study aims to evaluate challenges and benefits of its use. The objectives are to: 1) describe HeartDiet responses of patients with ischemic heart disease and discuss HeartDiet's suitability as a screening tool, 2) discuss whether an abridged version should replace HeartDiet. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study using data from a national feasibility test. HeartDiet was sent electronically to 223 patients with ischemic heart disease prior to cardiac rehabilitation. Data were summarised with descriptive statistics, and Spearman's rank correlations, explorative factor analysis, and Cohen's kappa coefficient were used to derive and evaluate abridged versions. The response rate was 68 % (n = 151). Evaluated with HeartDiet, no respondents had a heart-healthy diet. There was substantial agreement between HeartDiet and an abridged 9-item version (kappa = 0.6926 for Fat Score, 0.6625 for FishFruitVegetable Score), but the abridged version omits information on milk products, wholegrain, nuts, and sugary snacks. CONCLUSION: With the predefined cut-offs, HeartDiet's suitability as a screening tool to assess needs for dietary interventions was limited, since no respondents were categorised as having a heart-healthy diet. An abridged version can replace HeartDiet, but the tool's educational potential will be compromised, since important items will be omitted.

Birth weight and its relation with medical nutrition therapy in gestational diabetes.

PURPOSE: The cornerstone in treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is medical nutrition therapy (MNT), but the effect on birth weight is disputed. The birth weight was evaluated with respect to length of MNT and adherence to diet. METHODS: We performed a cohort study on 436 women with GDM and 254 non-diabetic women. Women with a normal oral glucose tolerance test were included as controls as they had similar background predisposition as the women with GDM. The GDM women were subdivided according to MNT and the nutritional status was further stratified according to adherence to the current dietary guidelines. RESULTS: Birth weight above 4 kg was more prevalent in the non-diabetic women compared to the diet-treated GDM women (27 vs. 18%, p = 0.012) but similar to the GDM women who had no MNT (24%). Lower birth weight was associated with longer duration of MNT (r = -0.13, p = 0.021). The birth weight was 1.2 g lower per day of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Medical nutrition therapy was associated with reduction of the fetal weight in women with GDM and the weight decreases with length of treatment. Birth weight above 4 kg was as prominent in the non-diabetic women as in the women with GDM without MNT.

Individualised nutritional treatment increases the positive effects of a novel á la carte hospital food service concept: Results of a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: One-third of hospitalised patients are at nutritional risk, and limited choice regarding meals and meal times, and inadequate nutritional support may contribute to inadequate nutritional intake during hospitalisation. The aim was to test the effect of a novel á la carte hospital food service concept as a stand-alone intervention and combined with individualised nutritional treatment. METHODS: Medical inpatients at nutritional risk were recruited for this three-arm quasi-experimental study. The control group received meals from the traditional bulk trolley food service system. Intervention group 1 (IG1) received meals from a novel á la carte food service concept with an electronic ordering system, whereas intervention group 2 (IG2) in addition to this received individualised nutritional treatment by a clinical dietitian. Nutritional intake and length of stay was measured, and patient satisfaction was assessed with purpose-designed questionnaires. RESULTS: 206 patients were included: 67 in the control group, 68 in IG1, and 71 in IG2. The proportion of participants reaching ≥75 % of both their energy and protein requirement was higher in IG1 compared to the control group (34 % vs. 12 %, p = 0.002) and higher in IG2 compared to IG1 (53 % vs. 34 %, p = 0.035). Length of stay was shorter in IG2 compared to the control group (6.0 vs. 8.7 days, p = 0.005). It was important to participants to be able to choose when and what to eat, and this preference was met to a larger extent in the intervention groups. CONCLUSION: The novel á la carte concept increases energy and protein intake in hospitalised patients, and the positive effects are increased, when the concept is used in combination with individualised nutritional treatment.

Effect of fruit restriction on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes--a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Medical nutrition therapy is recognized as an important treatment option in type 2 diabetes. Most guidelines recommend eating a diet with a high intake of fiber-rich food including fruit. This is based on the many positive effects of fruit on human health. However some health professionals have concerns that fruit intake has a negative impact on glycemic control and therefore recommend restricting the fruit intake. We found no studies addressing this important clinical question. The objective was to investigate whether an advice to reduce the intake of fruit to patients with type 2 diabetes affects HbA1c, bodyweight, waist circumference and fruit intake. METHODS: This was an open randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. The primary outcome was a change in HbA1c during 12 weeks of intervention. Participants were randomized to one of two interventions; medical nutrition therapy + advice to consume at least two pieces of fruit a day (high-fruit) or medical nutrition therapy + advice to consume no more than two pieces of fruit a day (low-fruit). All participants had two consultations with a registered dietitian. Fruit intake was self-reported using 3-day fruit records and dietary recalls. All assessments were made by the "intention to treat" principle. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 63 men and women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. All patients completed the trial. The high-fruit group increased fruit intake with 125 grams (CI 95%; 78 to 172) and the low-fruit group reduced intake with 51 grams (CI 95%; -18 to -83). HbA1c decreased in both groups with no difference between the groups (diff.: 0.19%, CI 95%; -0.23 to 0.62). Both groups reduced body weight and waist circumference, however there was no difference between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: A recommendation to reduce fruit intake as part of standard medical nutrition therapy in overweight patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes resulted in eating less fruit. It had however no effect on HbA1c, weight loss or waist circumference. We recommend that the intake of fruit should not be restricted in patients with type 2 diabetes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier: NCT01010594.

Dietary interventions in cardiac rehabilitation - The gap between guidelines and clinical practice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: An unhealthy diet is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and therefore cardiac rehabilitation (CR) should include dietary interventions. In 2007, CR became a shared responsibility between Danish hospitals and municipalities. Later, a national clinical guideline including recommendations on dietary interventions was developed to facilitate implementation of CR. The aim of the present study is: 1) To describe provision of dietary interventions in CR for IHD patients in Denmark in 2013 and 2015 emphasizing differences between hospitals and municipalities, and 2) To evaluate the implementation of the national clinical guideline in clinical practice. METHODS: A repeated nationwide cross-sectional electronic survey was carried out in 2013 and 2015. Participation was mandatory for all Danish hospital departments offering CR (n = 36), but voluntary for municipalities (n = 98) reaching response rates of 82% and 89% in 2013 and 2015, respectively. The electronic survey covered the core components of dietary interventions in CR as described in the national clinical guideline. RESULTS: In 2015, 72% of municipalities provided dietary interventions. This proportion was significantly higher in hospitals (94%, p = 0.007). 26% and 38% of hospitals screened systematically for dietary intervention needs in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Corresponding results from municipalities were 26% and 29%. No significant differences were seen in clinical practice over time. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study identified a major gap between recommendations in the national clinical guideline and actual clinical practice on dietary interventions in CR in Danish hospitals and municipalities. The study confirmed that implementation of guidelines in clinical practice takes time and requires an intensive effort.

The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database.

AIM OF DATABASE: The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database (DHRD) aims to improve the quality of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to the benefit of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). STUDY POPULATION: Hospitalized patients with CHD with stenosis on coronary angiography treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, or medication alone. Reporting is mandatory for all hospitals in Denmark delivering CR. The database was initially implemented in 2013 and was fully running from August 14, 2015, thus comprising data at a patient level from the latter date onward. MAIN VARIABLES: Patient-level data are registered by clinicians at the time of entry to CR directly into an online system with simultaneous linkage to other central patient registers. Follow-up data are entered after 6 months. The main variables collected are related to key outcome and performance indicators of CR: referral and adherence, lifestyle, patient-related outcome measures, risk factor control, and medication. Program-level online data are collected every third year. DESCRIPTIVE DATA: Based on administrative data, approximately 14,000 patients with CHD are hospitalized at 35 hospitals annually, with 75% receiving one or more outpatient rehabilitation services by 2015. The database has not yet been running for a full year, which explains the use of approximations. CONCLUSION: The DHRD is an online, national quality improvement database on CR, aimed at patients with CHD. Mandatory registration of data at both patient level as well as program level is done on the database. DHRD aims to systematically monitor the quality of CR over time, in order to improve the quality of CR throughout Denmark to benefit patients.