Photo assisted 24‐hour dietary recalls in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Abstract

OBJECTIVEDietary assessment of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is challenging due to their limited cognitive abilities. The objective of this study was to determine if photo‐assisted 24‐hour dietary recalls improve the assessment of energy and macronutrient intake in adults with IDD.METHODSParticipants used a tablet computer to take photos of all food and beverages consumed before a standard dietary recall. After a standard multiple‐pass 24‐hour diet recall was conducted the photos were reviewed with the participant and differences were recorded. The standard recall and the photo‐assisted recall were entered separately into Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and compared using mixed modeling.RESULTS30 eating occasions were entered from 10 participants (50% female; mean age 31.0 ± 12.3 years). Participants captured photos for 62% ± 28% of all recorded eating occasions. The photo‐assisted recalls reported greater energy intake per eating occasion than the standard recalls (543.9 ± 227.7 kcals vs. 352.5 ± 277.7 kcals, p=0.005) and a greater intake of fat (0=0.021) protein (p=0.012) and carbohydrates (p=0.006).CONCLUSIONPhoto‐assisted 24‐ hour recalls provided a significant increase in total calories and macronutrient content compared to a standard 24‐hour recall and may improve the dietary assessment of adults with IDD.Grant Funding Source: NIH: DK083539