Development of a Simple Tool for Monitoring Carbohydrate Intake and Its Validation

Abstract

Dietary monitoring is a technically complex, costly and time-consuming activity. The monitoring of the carbohydrate intake is desirable for patients with lifestyle-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes. We developed a simple tool for monitoring the daily carbohydrate intake (STMC) of healthy Japanese students. The tool is a one-page interview sheet that helps to simplify the calculation of the average carbohydrate intake (g/day) on the basis of the respondent's self-reported dietary intake disaggregated by 8 food groups. The validity of the STMC was tested in a study conducted on university students (n=10, 60 % female), by comparing the dietary intake estimated based on 24-hour recall. The mean carbohydrate intake as assessed by the STMC and 24-hour recall was 275.3±60.3 and 263.0±78.0 g/day, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the estimated carbohydrate intake as assessed by the STMC and 24-hour recall, with a Spearman rank correlation coefficient (r) of 0.709 (p = 0.022). With regard to the intake of different food groups, rice, which was the students' main source of carbohydrates, showed a significant correlation with the estimated carbohydrate intake (r = 0.730, p = 0.017). The STMC showed reasonable validity in the estimation of the carbohydrate intake and may have clinical applications.