Exploring Dietary Patterns with the Rapid Eating and Activity Assessment for Patients (REAP) Tool in a Dental School Clinic

Authors

Katherine Wiley, Rutgers UniversityFollow
Rena Zelig, Rutgers UniversityFollow
Hamed Samavat, Rutgers UniversityFollow
Diane Rigassio Radler, Rutgers UniversityFollow

Abstract

Background: Dietary pattern assessment by healthcare providers leads to a better understanding of usual intake and evaluation of nutritional status, systemic health, and disease. Interprofessional team members can use such information to provide interventions leading to improved health outcomes. Objective: The aim was to explore the dietary patterns of adults seen in a dental clinic using the Rapid Eating and Activity Assessment for Patients (REAP) tool. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of data from 220 adult patients (aged 18-89 years) who had a diet evaluation completed in a dental school clinic. Demographic information and REAP responses were obtained from the electronic health record and reported using frequency distributions. Results: The study sample (N=220) was 50.0% male (n= 110). The median (IQR) age and BMI were 56.0 years (IQR=48.2, 66.0) and 28.0 kg/m2 (IQR= 24.3, 32.8 kg/m2), respectively; 73.5% had a BMI considered overweight or obese. Approximately one-third reported usually/sometimes eating sweets more than twice/day (n=74, 35.9%) and drinking more than 16 ounces of SSBs (n=74, 34.1%). Most reported usually/sometimes eating less than 3 servings of whole grains (n=165, 75.0%), 2-3 servings of fruit (n=155, 71.1%), or 3-4 servings of vegetables (n=121, 70.8%) daily. Seventy-two percent (n=156) indicated they were willing to make dietary changes. Conclusion: This study revealed that the dietary patterns of adults seen in a dental school clinic did not align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations. Diet assessment is feasible in this setting and may be an important part of interprofessional education.

Recommended Citation

Wiley, Katherine; Zelig, Rena; Samavat, Hamed; and Rigassio Radler, Diane (2023) "Exploring Dietary Patterns with the Rapid Eating and Activity Assessment for Patients (REAP) Tool in a Dental School Clinic," Journal of Dietetic Education: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jde/vol1/iss1/2