Comparative advantage of 3-day food records over 24-hour recall and 5-day food frequency validated by observation of 9- and 10-year-old girls

doi:10.1016/0002-8223(94)90158-9

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Volume 94, Issue 6, June 1994, Pages 626-630

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8223(94)90158-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective The validity of the 24-hour recall, 3-day food record, and 5-day food frequency was assessed to decide on a dietary assessment method for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Growth and Health Study.

Design All subjects were assigned to one of three dietary assessment methods. Unobtrusive observers recorded types and amounts of foods eaten during lunch, and these were compared with the foods reported by the girls in the study.

Setting School lunchrooms in California and Ohio.

Subjects 58 girls, aged 9 and 10 years.

Main outcome measures Reporting errors for dietary assessment methods.

Statistical analyses performed Descriptive statistics, matched pair t tests, and Spearman correlation coefficients.

Results Comparison of the intakes of energy and selected macronutrients showed different ranges of, and median percentage absolute errors for, each dietary assessment method. Percentage absolute errors ranged between 20 and 33 for the 5-day food frequency method; 19 and 39 for the 24-hour recall; and 12 and 22 for the 3-day food record. The proportion of missing foods (ie, observed food items not reported) and phantom foods (ie, reported food items not observed) by each method were 46% and 40%, respectively, for the 5-day food frequency; 30% and 33%, respectively, for the 24-hour recall; and 25% and 10%, respectively, for the 3-day food record.

Applications/conclusions Errors in food reporting and quantification can vary with the type of dietary methodology. Agreement between observed and reported intakes from 3-day food records made it the best overall choice. On this basis, it was selected as the method of assessment for the NHLBI Growth and Health Study.

Section snippets

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The GHS is an ongoing, multicenter prospective study investigating the development of risk factors for obesity and cardiovascular disease in a cohort of 2,379 black and white girls aged 9 to 10 years at baseline. A detailed description of the study's purpose, cohort, and methods has been published elsewhere (6).

The validation study involved 60 black and white girls, 9 to 10 years of age, recruited from fourth and fifth grades in two schools. One was an inner-city school in the San Francisco Bay

RESULTS

Table 1 presents the means and standard deviations of lunchtime intakes of energy and five nutrients. Observed intakes are compared with those reported by the girls according to the three methods. A consistent bias resulting in the overestimation of energy and nutrients was observed for the 5-day food frequency method of reporting. Bias was not observed for the 24-hour recall or the 3-day record.

Least significant differences between observed and reported values were half as large for energy and

DISCUSSION

Validations of dietary methods, though valuable, are relatively rare, even with the current wealth of research on dietary collection methods. In 1986, The American Dietetic Association compiled an annotated bibliography on dietary methodology in which classification of the references revealed that fewer than 7% were direct or observational validation studies (9). Some were classified as indirect validation studies that compared the energy or nutrients consumed with energy expenditure or other

APPLICATIONS

Dietitians and nutritionists need results from actual observation studies to assess the relative value of the various dietary assessment tools used with children. These assessments must be considered, however, in the context of the cost and time burden for the intended task.

In the GHS, it was necessary to obtain dietary intake data relevant to the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The method selected—the 3-day food record—was labor intensive and costly, but it held the

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Paul Canner, PhD, who assisted with analysis; Rhea Larsen, MS, who directed the study in Cincinnati, Ohio; Leona Shapiro, DrPH, who provided guidance and support throughout; Ruth Huenemann, DSc, and Ann Burroughs, DrPH, for their valuable and timely assistance; and Kate McBurney, DrPH, who was responsible for the dietary coding.

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^☆: The research was performed under contract NO1-HC-55023-26 of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Md.

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ResearchComparative advantage of 3-day food records over 24-hour recall and 5-day food frequency validated by observation of 9- and 10-year-old girls☆

Abstract

Section snippets

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

APPLICATIONS

Acknowledgements

Prev Med

J Nutr

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Clin Nutr

Am J Clin Nutr

Am J Clin Nutr

J Am Diet Assoc

J Am Diet Assoc

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Clin Nutr

Research
Comparative advantage of 3-day food records over 24-hour recall and 5-day food frequency validated by observation of 9- and 10-year-old girls☆