Improvement in dietary intake estimates through the combined use of different approaches

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to compare dietary intake estimates using two different methodological approaches: use of new portions obtained with the 24-Hour Diet Recall, which was applied in the current study population, and the application of calibration equations, which were estimated using the same 24h-recalls. Methods Calibration equations were estimated using linear regression. The medians and confidence intervals of energy and nutrient intakes were assessed using all the approaches. The U Mann Whitney test was applied to verify differences among dietary intakes obtained with the 24 Hour Recall and Food Frequency Questionnaire-based methods. The correlation between different measures was assessed with Spearman coefficient. Weighted Kappa was used to verify the capability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire -based methods to classify individuals in the same intake levels of the 24 Hour Recall. Results Nine of the eleven components that were analyzed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire with standard portions and calibrated had medians significantly different from those obtained using the 24 Hour Recall; only the measurements of vitamin E and energy were statistically equal. For the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions, only the medians of vitamin D and B12 did not significantly differ from the 24 Hour Recall medians. Finally, for the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions and calibrated, all components, except folate and iron, had medians statistically equal to those obtained using the 24 Hour Recall. Spearman correlation coefficients were higher for the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions calibrated for all the assessed components, and the values ranged from 0.27 (total fat) to 0.57 (iron). Higher Kappa correlation coefficients were found for the Food Frequency Questionnaire 24 Hour Recall portions calibrated. Conclusion Calibrated FFQ with portions estimated from the own target population obtained better estimates of dietary intake, with values considerably more similar to those obtained with the reference method.

Validity and reproducibility of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for German descendants living in Brazil

“…Another approach taken in this study was the estimation of FFQ2 calibration factors and the correction of data by the reference method, mainly necessary for questionnaires that will be used in studies that assess the diet-disease relationship [27]. The absence of bias in the questionnaire, represented by a calibration factor close to 1, indicates that the mean intake estimated through the questionnaire is similar to the mean estimated using the reference method [28].…”

Family influence on the nutritional status and eating habits of six to nine year-old children

“…Several instruments are used to assess food intake, which is one of the aspects of eating behavior [5,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. However, there is no foolproof assessment of the food consumption method [20,21]. The 24-hour recall is the most suitable approach to quantify and assess food and nutrient intake [7,18,22,23].…”