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Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and identify some predictors of misreporting in an elderly Belgian population and to assess the effect of underreporting on estimated intakes of macronutrients and foods. Design: A 1-day food record was completed by 2083 adult men and women aged 65 years or more. Individuals whose energy intake was lower than 0.90 £ BMR (basal metabolic rate) were defined as underreporters. Overreporting was defined as energy intake greater than 2 £ BMR. Results: Underreporting and overreporting occurred in 13.6% and 7.9% of food records, respectively. Results from logistic regression models indicated that gender and body mass index (BMI) were predictors of misreporting. Whereas women were more likely to underreport energy intake, the prevalence of overreporting was higher in men. Underreporting was more prevalent among obese people and overreporting more prevalent in normal-weight subjects. Smoking status and education level did not predict underreporting; however, overreporting was more likely to occur in more highly educated subjects. A cultural difference in reporting of nutrient intakes was also found, with the percentage of underreporters being higher among Walloons compared with Flemish. Conclusion: BMI seemed to be one of the most important factors in misreporting. This calls for special attention when dietary surveys are performed on obese or lean people. Keywords Dietary assessmentEnergy intake Misreporting Validity Basal metabolic rateThe measurement of nutrient intake in dietary surveys represents a methodological challenge. This measurement sometimes relies on self-reports of food intake over varying periods of time. The most widely used methods are dietary recalls, where subjects report on foods consumed over the previous 24 hours; diet diaries, in which subjects record all food consumed on a daily basis; and food-frequency questionnaires, which require subjects to report food consumption patterns over times ranging from one month to one year or more. Because all dietary methods have their limitations, none of these can be considered a 100% reliable reference measure for assessing dietary intake. Therefore, biological markers of food intake have been sought in order to validate selfreported energy intake by objective measures 1 -5 . The doubly labelled water technique is an example of a biomarker that can be used to validate self-reported energy intake 1 -4 . This technique is used to measure energy expenditure in free-living subjects and is currently considered the 'gold standard' for the measurement of total energy expenditure in humans. Comparing measured energy expenditure with reported energy intake gives an idea of the degree of misreporting in a dietary survey.All mentioned dietary methods are prone to under-or/and overreporting of energy intake 6 . This misreporting may result from difficulties in accurately reporting food consumption and portion size, changing eating patterns or overestimating consumption of more socially desirable foods, etc. 7 . Because the...

Aim: To evaluate the validity and usefulness of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) which was designed to evaluate individual fat consumption for a Dutch population relative to 7-day estimated records (7d ER). The FFQ has been validated previously and was adapted to the Belgian situation. Methods: Longitudinal study in 26 healthy pregnant women; FFQ and 7d ER were obtained during the 1st and 3rd trimesters. Results: FFQ was validated with 7d ER. Fat and fatty acid intake estimated by the FFQ did not differ significantly (p < 0.01) from data obtained by the 7d ER except for 18:2n–6. Pearson correlation coefficient between the 2 methods ranged from 0.62 to 0.68. On average, 47% of the women were classified in the same quartile with the 2 methods and less than 2% in the opposite quartile. Total fat intake, calculated from FFQ, was on average 87.9 (SD 18.1) g/day. The mean intake of linoleic acid was 13.3 (SD 5.4) g/day and of α-linolenic acid was 1.4 (SD 0.5) g/day. The dietary intake of the saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids was respectively 34.7 (SD 10.0) g/day, 29.6 (SD 8.1) g/day and 15.7 (SD 5.9) g/day. Conclusion: The FFQ gives similar results for fat intake as the 7d ER and is thus considered an appropriate method for classifying individuals to the right part of the distribution of dietary fat intake.

IntroductionAn association between sleep duration and overweight has been reported from several countries. Comparability of those results is limited by reasons of methodological differences. In a multi-center study we analysed this association in children from northern and southern Europe.ObjectivesTo investigate differences and a possible effect modification by geographical region in the association between sleep duration and overweight.MethodsIn the IDEFICS-Study we examined 16.223 children (2–9 years) from eight European countries. Sleep was assessed by means of a parental 24h-Recall. Logistic regression models were applied to analyse the association between overweight and sleep duration and to test for effect modification by region.ResultsA dose dependent association between sleep duration and overweight was seen. This persisted after adjustment, but remained significant only for sleeping <9h if stratified by region (north:OR 2.0; 99% CI 1.3 to 3.2 vs south:OR 2.5; 99% CI 1.4 to 4.3). No effect modification by region was found. The association was stronger in older children.ConclusionGeographic region and related aspects do not modify the association between sleep and overweight, but should be taken in consideration as a confounding factor on this association.

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