The validity of technology-based dietary assessment methods in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review

Dietary assessment methods recognized as appropriate for the general population are usually applied in a similar manner to athletes, despite knowledge that sport-specific factors can complicate assessment and impact accuracy in unique ways. As dietary assessment methods are used extensively within the field of sports nutrition, there is concern the validity of methodologies have not undergone more rigorous evaluation in this unique population sub-group. The purpose was to systematically review studies comparing two or more methods of dietary assessment, including dietary intake measured against biomarkers or reference measures of energy expenditure, in athletes. Six electronic databases were searched for English-language, full-text articles published from January 1980 until June 2016. The search strategy combined the following keywords: diet, nutrition assessment, athlete and validity; where the following outcomes are reported but not limited to: energy intake, macro and/or micronutrient intake, food intake, nutritional adequacy, diet quality, or nutritional status. Meta-analysis was performed on studies with sufficient methodological similarity, with between-group standardized mean differences (or effect size) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) calculated. Of the 1624 studies identified, 18 were eligible for inclusion. Studies comparing self-reported energy intake (EI) to energy expenditure assessed via doubly labelled water were grouped for comparison (n=11) and demonstrated mean EI was under-estimated by 19 % (- 2793 ± 1134 kJ/d). Meta-analysis revealed a large pooled effect size of - 1.006 (95% CI: -1.3 to -0.7; p<0.001). The remaining studies (n=7) compared a new dietary tool or instrument to a reference method(s) (e.g. food record, 24-h dietary recall, biomarker) as part of a validation study. This systematic review revealed there are limited robust studies evaluating dietary assessment methods in athletes. Existing literature demonstrates substantial variability between methods, with under and misreporting of intake frequently observed. There is a clear need for careful validation of dietary assessment methods, including emerging technical innovations, among athlete populations.

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Assessment of dietary nitrate intake in humans: a systematic review

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqy108 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 108 (4) ◽

pp. 878-888 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Abrar M Babateen ◽

Gianfranco Fornelli ◽

Lorenzo M Donini ◽

John C Mathers ◽

Mario Siervo

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Food Composition ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Nitrate Content ◽

Dietary Nitrate ◽

Dietary Assessment Methods ◽

Nitrate Intake

Abstract Background The nitrate content of foods and water is highly variable, which has implications for the compilation of food-composition databases and assessment of dietary nitrate intake. Objective A systematic review was conducted to ascertain the dietary assessment methods used and to provide estimates of daily nitrate intake in humans. Design Relevant articles were identified by a systematic search of 3 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) from inception until February 2018. Observational studies conducted in adult populations and reporting information on dietary assessment methods and daily nitrate intake were included. Ecological analyses were conducted to explore the association of nitrate intake with indexes of economic development [Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and KOF Index of Globalization]. Results A total of 55 articles were included. Forty-two studies investigated associations between nitrate intake and disease risk; 36 (87%) of these studies examined the association between nitrate intake and cancer risk, whereas only 6 studies explored the association of nitrate intake with the risk of diabetes, glaucoma, kidney failure, hypertension, and atherosclerotic vascular disease. The majority of studies used food-frequency questionnaires to assess nitrate intake (n = 43). The median daily nitrate intakes in healthy and patient populations were 108 and 110 mg/d, respectively. We found a significant inverse correlation of nitrate intake with GDP (r = −0.46, P < 0.001) and KOF index (r = −0.31, P = 0.002). Conclusions The median estimated daily nitrate intakes by healthy and patient populations were similar, and these values were below the safe upper intake of daily intake (3.7 mg nitrate ion/kg body weight). However, there is considerable heterogeneity in the application of food-composition tables, which may have implications for the accuracy of estimated daily nitrate intake. The association between nitrate intake and risk of cardiometabolic diseases needs further investigation. The protocol for this systematic review has been registered in the PROSPERO database (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero; CRD number: 42017060354).

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A systematic review of the validity of dietary assessment methods in children when compared with the method of doubly labelled water

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1038/s41430-019-0480-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (5) ◽

pp. 669-681

Author(s):

T. Burrows ◽

S. Goldman ◽

M. Rollo

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Doubly Labelled Water ◽

Dietary Assessment Methods

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Dietary assessment methods in epidemiologic studies.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.726711683.793532919 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Pagona Lagiou

Keyword(s):

Dietary Assessment ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Dietary Assessment Methods

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Dietary assessment methods in epidemiological research: current state of the art and future prospects

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.10703.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 926 ◽

Cited By ~ 98

Author(s):

Androniki Naska ◽

Areti Lagiou ◽

Pagona Lagiou

Keyword(s):

Dietary Assessment ◽

Smart Phone ◽

Food Composition ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Dietary Biomarkers ◽

Novel Technologies ◽

Sources Of Error ◽

Dietary Assessment Methods

Self-reported dietary intake is assessed by methods of real-time recording (food diaries and the duplicate portion method) and methods of recall (dietary histories, food frequency questionnaires, and 24-hour dietary recalls). Being less labor intensive, recall methods are more frequently employed in nutritional epidemiological investigations. However, sources of error, which include the participants’ inability to fully and accurately recall their intakes as well as limitations inherent in the food composition databases applied to convert the reported food consumption to energy and nutrient intakes, may limit the validity of the generated information. The use of dietary biomarkers is often recommended to overcome such errors and better capture intra-individual variability in intake; nevertheless, it has its own challenges. To address measurement error associated with dietary questionnaires, large epidemiological investigations often integrate sub-studies for the validation and calibration of the questionnaires and/or administer a combination of different assessment methods (e.g. administration of different questionnaires and assessment of biomarker levels). Recent advances in the omics field could enrich the list of reliable nutrition biomarkers, whereas new approaches employing web-based and smart phone applications could reduce respondent burden and, possibly, reporting bias. Novel technologies are increasingly integrated with traditional methods, but some sources of error still remain. In the analyses, food and nutrient intakes always need to be adjusted for total daily energy intake to account for errors related to reporting.

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