Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate if an Evernote app-based electronic food diary is an acceptable method to measure nutrient intake in children aged 9–12 years. A convenience sample of 16 nine- to twelve-year-olds from Dunedin, New Zealand, completed a paper-based food dairy on four days, followed by four more days using a photo-based diary on an iPod. This photo-based diary used a combination of photographs and short written descriptions of foods consumed. The photo-based diaries produced similar results to written diaries for all macronutrients and major micronutrients (e.g., calcium, fibre, vitamin C). Spearman correlation coefficients between the two methods for all nutrients, except sugars, were above 0.3. However, burden on researchers and participants was reduced for the photo-based diary, primarily due to the additional information obtained from photographs. Participating children needed less help from parents with completing the electronic diaries and preferred them to the paper version. This electronic diary is likely to be suitable, after additional formal validity testing, for use in measuring nutrient intake in children.
Highlights
A healthy diet is essential in childhood because it is associated with current and future health [1,2].dietary assessment methods appropriate for children are vital
The 24-h recall method is used in large-scale surveys in New Zealand, such as the New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey [3]
Using 24-h recalls is especially difficult in children as several people may need to be interviewed to ensure all the food consumed is accurately reported [5]
Summary
A healthy diet is essential in childhood because it is associated with current and future health [1,2].dietary assessment methods appropriate for children are vital. Several traditional methods are used to measure energy and nutrient intake, including 24-h recalls, food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and food records. The 24-h recall method is used in large-scale surveys in New Zealand, such as the New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey [3]. An important limitation of this method is recall bias, where people cannot accurately remember everything they consumed [4]. Using 24-h recalls is especially difficult in children as several people may need to be interviewed to ensure all the food consumed is accurately reported [5]. While comprehensive self-completed FFQs are used commonly in large-scale studies of adults to determine long-term dietary intake [4,5], they are not ideal for comprehensive dietary assessment in children
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