Abstract

Objective: Growing evidence suggests postprandial hyperglycemia, driven largely by carbohydrate consumption, adversely affects A1c and cardiovascular health. The standard for quantifying carbohydrate intake is 24-hour dietary recall (ASA24). While sophisticated in terms of quantifying grams of micro and macro nutrients, it is often not practical in most clinical and some research settings. A simpler alternative is needed.
Research design and methods: We developed the Carbohydrate Routine Consumption (CRC) scale, which samples weekly servings of 16 common high and low glycemic load foods and takes 5 minutes to complete and score. We administered the CRC and the ASA24 to 204 adults with type 2 diabetes.
Results: The CRC was reliable, correlated with the ASA24 and had similar construct and discriminant validity.
Conclusion: The CRC is psychometrically sound and easily administered and scored by clinicians and researchers to document routine carbohydrate consumption and change in consumption.