Assessing dietary intake of drug abusing Hispanic adults with and without HIV infection

Authors: SAHNI, SHIVANI - TUFTS/HNRCA; FORRESTER, JANET - TUFTS UNIVERSITY; Tucker, Katherine

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2006
Publication Date: 6/1/2007
Citation: Sahni, S., Forrester, J.E., Tucker, K. 2007. Assessing dietary intake of drug abusing Hispanic adults with and without HIV infection. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association. 107: 968-976.

Interpretive Summary: Drug abuse is an important risk factor for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Hispanics in the Northeastern United States and both drug abuse and HIV are associated with nutritional deficiencies. The selection of a dietary assessment method most appropriate for Hispanic adults with/without HIV infection who may be drug abusers remain unclear. Participants were recruited into one of the three groups: HIV- infected drug abusers; HIV- non-infected drug abusers and HIV- infected non-drug abusers. The 286 participants enrolled, completed 282 Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), 142 3-day diet records, and 270 24-hour recalls. Twenty-seven of 33 nutrient intakes estimated by 3-day diet record were significantly lower than by FFQ. Three-day diet records underestimated dietary intake relative to the FFQ and 24-hour recall methods. Fifty percent of the records were not completed. Energy estimates from the FFQ and 24-h recall were similar to each other. The 24-hour recall gave higher mean dietary intake estimates, but would require multiple contacts with this difficult to reach population. The FFQ that was specifically designed for this Hispanic population performed well relative to the other methods.

Technical Abstract: Drug abuse is an important risk factor for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Hispanics in the Northeastern United States and both drug abuse and HIV are associated with nutritional deficiencies. The selection of a dietary assessment method most appropriate for Hispanic adults with/without HIV infection who may be drug abusers remain unclear. Participants were recruited into one of the three groups: HIV- infected drug abusers; HIV- non-infected drug abusers and HIV- infected non-drug abusers. Subjects who completed two of the three dietary methods were included in cross-sectional pair-wise comparisons. The baseline data was collected from a prospective cohort study of the role of drug abuse in HIV/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) related weight loss. The 286 participants enrolled, completed 282 Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), 142 3-day diet records, and 270 24-hour recalls. Energy adjusted and deattenuated correlations between the FFQ and 3-day diet records ranged from 0.11 (carbohydrate) to 0.75 (caffeine). Twenty-seven of 33 nutrient intakes estimated by 3-day diet record were significantly lower than by FFQ (P<0.05). Three-day diet records underestimated dietary intake relative to the FFQ and 24-hour recall methods. Fifty percent of the records were not completed. Energy estimates from the FFQ and 24-h recall were similar to each other. The 24-hour recall gave higher mean dietary intake estimates, but would require multiple contacts with this difficult to reach population. The FFQ that was specifically designed for this Hispanic population performed well relative to the other methods.