Development, Validation, and Reproducibility of Food Group-Based Frequency Questionnaires for Clinical Use in Brazil: A Pre-Hypertension and Hypertension Diet Assessment

An immunochromatographic strip sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of candesartan, olmesartan medoxomil, and irbesartan in herbal beverages

Sartans, as a class of antihypertensive drugs, pose a threat to human health when illegally added to herbal beverages. It is crucial to detect sartans in herbal beverages. We have developed a highly sensitive monoclonal antibody against candesartan (CAN), olmesartan medoxomil (OLM), and irbesartan (IRB), with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) that were obtained via indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) as 0.178 ng mL-1, 0.185 ng mL-1, and 0.262 ng mL-1 against CAN, OLM, and IRB, respectively. Based on this monoclonal antibody, we developed a rapid screening method for CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverage samples using an immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip. Test for 15 minutes after simple and rapid sample pre-treatment and the results of this method can be obtained through naked eye observation. The detection limits (LODs) of the ICA strip for CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverage samples are lower than 0.15 ng mL-1, and the results of the ICA strip and ic-ELISA are consistent in spiked samples and recovery experiments. Therefore, this method can quickly, efficiently, and reliably achieve high-throughput on-site rapid detection of illegally added CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverages.

Dietary assessment and prevention of hypertension in Nigeria: Protocol for a retrospective cross-sectional study for the development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire for clinical use

Contrary to North America and Europe, the prevalence of hypertension is rising in West Africa. With a transition from whole foods to processed foods in Nigeria, diet plays a key driver of hypertension. To combat this, the national nutritional guidelines in Nigeria were implemented, but their translation into actionable tools for clinicians remains a challenge. Currently, there are no simple dietary assessment tools that are concise and suitable to be incorporated into clinical care without requiring extensive data analysis while still providing personalised dietary support to their patients. This study aims to deliver a clinically tested and validated short dietary assessment tool for clinicians, patients, and researchers across Nigeria to provide personalised dietary advice for patients with hypertension. The study will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1 (n = 75) will investigate the feasibility of the short FFQ and its agreement with 24-hour dietary recalls (3x) in a clinical setting in Nigeria. During the analysis of Phase 1 data, a scoring system will be developed based on the associations between individual food items in the FFQ and measures of hypertension. Phase 2 (n = 50) will assess the acceptability of the FFQ and validate the association between the FFQ score and hypertension. Expected outcomes: The development of a clinically tested and validated short food frequency questionnaire that will be ready to use by clinicians, patients, and researchers across Nigeria to support the prevention and management of hypertension. This study will contribute to knowledge on dietary assessment and hypertension prevention by developing a validated and acceptable FFQ, which will be valuable for clinicians and researchers for personalised dietary recommendations to combat hypertension in Nigeria.

Validity and reliability of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P) for use in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P) translated and adapted for use in Brazil.

DESIGN

Validation of the NEMS-P questionnaire. The questionnaires were applied to assess validity and reliability, based on exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's α coefficient and intra-class correlation, with a significance level of 95 %.

SETTING

Brazil.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults over 20 years of age diagnosed with hypertension were included in the internal validity and reliability test (n 176) and intra-rater reliability (subsample n 35).

RESULTS

Factor analysis obtained satisfactory results. Internal consistency was acceptable for most items, with Cronbach's α ranging from 0·6 to 0·9. The intra-rater reliability of the subsample was also valid, with intra-class correlation coefficient values ranging from 0·5 to 0·9.

CONCLUSION

This work reveals the usefulness of the instrument to assess the perceived food environment in the Brazilian context, being able to measure what is proposed according to its theoretical model, and reproduces the values when applied to a sample different from its original validation. However, refinement of some questions is suggested. Finally, it demonstrates the possibility of using the entire instrument or each section independently, according to the food environments to be investigated.

Food frequency questionnaires developed and validated in Brazil: A scoping review protocol

A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is used to assess habitual food and nutrient intake. The choice of a FFQ should consider the study objectives, instrument particularities, target population, and geographic region. Over the past few years, FFQs have been constructed and validated in Brazil for children, adolescents, adults, athletes, and individuals with specific clinical conditions. The aim of this scoping review is to map the food frequency questionnaires developed and validated in Brazil. The Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework was used for search strategy and defined as P-not applicable (open), C-food frequency questionnaire, and C-Brazil. FFQ validation studies performed with healthy or sick people will be included, regardless of clinical condition, age, sex, or region in the country. Studies with populations from other countries will be excluded. The review will be conducted in accordance with JBI (formerly known as Joanna Briggs Institute) methodology for scoping reviews. Search databases will include PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, Embase, Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, and Google Scholar. Data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers and discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. In order to improve the understanding and contextualization of the studies, a description of the results and presentation in tables and figures will be provided. Applications and implications for future research, practices, and policies will be discussed. Our protocol is registered through the Open Science Framework (doi 10.17605/OSF.IO/G5J3K).

Validity and Reproducibility of Food Group-Based Food Frequency Questionnaires in Assessing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Habits among Chinese Middle-School Students

Assessing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is crucial for reducing obesity; however, a simple but relatively accurate method for determining added sugar consumption among school adolescents is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a food group-based food frequency questionnaire (FG-FFQ) for SSBs in assessing SSB consumption and added sugar among middle-school students. A total of 242 school students completed the FG-FFQs twice and four discontinuous 24-h dietary records (24HDR) over a three-month period. A weighted average approach was used to obtain the average sugar content in the sugary drink food group (FG). Correlation coefficient, weighted kappa statistic, misclassification analysis, and Bland-Altman plot were used to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of the FG-FFQ. Linear regression was utilized to obtain the calibration formulas. The average content of added sugar in sugary drink FG was 8.1 g/100 mL. SSB consumption frequency, consumption amount, and added sugar had correlation coefficients of 0.81, 0.87, and 0.87, respectively, in the validity analysis (p < 0.05). The majority of scatter plots were covered by 95% confidence intervals in the Bland-Altman bias analysis. The intra-class correlation coefficient of SSB consumption frequency and Spearman correlation coefficient of SSB consumption amount and added sugar were 0.74, 0.81, and 0.90, respectively, in the reproducibility analysis (p < 0.05). Results produced by the FG-FFQ calibration formula were more comparable to 24HDR. The FG-FFQ for SSB consumption showed acceptable validity and reproducibility, making it a viable instrument for epidemiological studies on sugary drinks in adolescents.

Effect of Mobile Health Interventions on Lifestyle and Anthropometric Characteristics of Uncontrolled Hypertensive Participants: Secondary Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention on lifestyle adherence and anthropometric characteristics among individuals with uncontrolled hypertension. We performed a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03005470) where all participants received lifestyle counseling at baseline and were randomly allocated to receive (1) an automatic oscillometric device to measure and register blood pressure (BP) via a mobile application, (2) personalized text messages to stimulate lifestyle changes, (3) both mHealth interventions, or (4) usual clinical treatment (UCT) without technology (control). The outcomes were achieved for at least four of five lifestyle goals (weight loss, not smoking, physical activity, moderate or stopping alcohol consumption, and improving diet quality) and improved anthropometric characteristics at six months. mHealth groups were pooled for the analysis. Among 231 randomized participants (187 in the mHealth group and 45 in the control group), the mean age was 55.4 ± 9.5 years, and 51.9% were men. At six months, achieving at least four of five lifestyle goals was 2.51 times more likely (95% CI: 1.26; 5.00, p = 0.009) to be achieved among participants receiving mHealth interventions. The between-group difference reached clinically relevant, but marginally significant, reduction in body fat (-4.05 kg 95% CI: -8.14; 0.03, p = 0.052), segmental trunk fat (-1.69 kg 95% CI: -3.50; 0.12, p = 0.067), and WC (-4.36 cm 95% CI: -8.81; 0.082, p = 0.054), favoring the intervention group. In conclusion, a six-month lifestyle intervention supported by application-based BP monitoring and text messages significantly improves adherence to lifestyle goals and is likely to reduce some anthropometric characteristics in comparison with the control without technology support.