Validation of the Modified Athlete Dietary Index (mADI) Against a 7-Day Food Record Assessing Food Consumption Among Irish Athletes

Nutrition is crucial for enhancing performance and overall health among athletes. However, detailed dietary assessments are often time-consuming, challenging to conduct accurately, and burdensome. Therefore, there is a need for a more time and cost-effective method for assessing dietary intake among Irish athletes. This study aimed to validate a modified Athlete Dietary Index (mADI) as a screening tool for use among Irish athletes. Eligible participants included team and individual sport athletes over the age of 18 years, currently competing in competitions. Participants completed the electronic mADI followed by a 7-day food record (7DFR) using Qualtrics and Nutritics software platforms. Misreporting was assessed using the Goldberg cut-off. Validity for each food group was evaluated based on weighted kappa, two-way mixed effects intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), relative bias, and Bland-Altman graphs. Eighty athletes (28.74 ± 9.77 years) completed the mADI and 7DFR. Poor validity was found for servings per day (% bias > 20%, ICC < 0.50). Only eggs showed good validity for servings per week (−1.7% bias, ICC = 0.55). Acceptable to good validity (% bias < 10.9%) was observed for days per week, with 54% of food groups demonstrating good validity. Weighted kappa indicated an acceptable level of agreement for 62% of the comparisons. Overall, ICC suggested poor reliability for all but three food groups (eggs 0.55; fish 0.52; plant-based protein 0.63). The mADI demonstrated limited validity in assessing diet quality among athletes but showed potential as a screening tool to evaluate habitual dietary intake patterns in large groups of Irish athletes.