Abstract
Short food questions (SFQ) allow for rapid reporting of food intake across a variety of settings but are limited by poor validity and reliability. Understanding the recall process used by parents to report children’s food intake can improve question design and psychometric performance. This study aimed to improve understanding of how parents report children’s dietary intake using SFQ. Semi-structured, cognitive interviews were conducted with 21 mothers of 3–7-year-old children. Mothers were asked to ‘think-aloud’ while answering SFQ about their child’s food intake. Thematic analysis identified themes relating to parent’s question and answer process and barriers to recall. Information retrieval strategies focused on ‘use-of-time’ and ‘sphere of food provision’ and differed for core versus unhealthy foods. Recall of routine and home food provision were used to report core food intake, whereas recall of special occasions and food provision outside the home guided recall of discretionary foods. Mothers utilize different recall strategies for core and discretionary foods based on use of time and the sphere of food provision. The ease of reporting children’s dietary intake may be improved by utilizing a shorter recall time frame, clear and direct question wording, and use of food examples and recall prompts.
Highlights
Childhood overweight and obesity is a global public health issue [1]
To improve understanding of why differential misestimation occurs for food groups the present study evaluated response strategies used by parents to estimate food intake [8]
Findings of this study suggest that parent reporting of children’s food intake using short food questions (SFQ) may be optimized by use of a shorter recall timeframe, brief and direct question wording and use of examples and prompts to aid recall
Summary
Childhood overweight and obesity is a global public health issue [1]. Dietary intake plays an integral role in the prevention of obesity in children, and modification of dietary intake is a key intervention strategy [2]. Accurate measurement of dietary intake is essential for evaluating nutrition and obesity intervention programs, monitoring trends in dietary behaviours, and informing policy and practice decisions. There are many challenges to measuring dietary intake in young children, in the policy and practice context. Research and evaluation in this area is limited by a lack of validated and ‘fit for purpose’ brief tools for measuring young children’s food intake [3].
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