Validation of the Multiple-pass 24-hour Dietary Recall in Young Children; In-person Vs. Telephone Administered Interviews

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To examine the effectiveness of two different methods (telephone vs. in-person) of collecting energy intake data using the multiple-pass 24-hour dietaryWhen considering the growing problem of childhood obesity, it is important to be able to accurately measure both sides of the energy balance equation (energy intake and energy expenditure). This study examined the intake portion of the equation and validated two methods of obtaining dietary intake data. The purpose of this study was to compare interviewing methods when collecting intake data from young children using the multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recall. Both an in-person interview and a telephone administered interview were used to collect energy intake data. The validity of these two methods was assessed by comparing their values to the total energy expenditure (TEE) as determined using doubly labeled water method. When subjects are in energy balance, TEE can be used as a reference standard because energy intake is essentially the same as energy expenditure. The subjects were 10 volunteers (3 males, 7 females), aged 4-7. The volunteers were studied at the University of Vermont, Clinical Research Center/Sims Obesity Nutrition Research Center. No significant difference was found when comparing telephone and in-person interviewing methods with TEE (F=1.77, p=0.23). Thus, telephone administered multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recalls can be just as effective as a multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recall obtained from an in-person interview.