Comparison of commonly used dietary assessment methods in individuals without obesity

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to compare commonly used dietary assessment methods in non-obese young adults. Design/methodology/approach This study was carried out on 22 females and 21 males, who were aged between 20 and 25, with no chronic diseases and were not obese or on any diet. The data was collected face to face. In this study, the authors evaluated the consistency of nonconsecutive three-day 24-h recall method (3 × 24HR), which was chosen as a reference for the determination of food consumption, with one-day 24-h recall method (1 × 24HR), three-day food record method (3 × FR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which has been frequently used in food consumption research. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and Bland–Altman graphs were performed in the statistical analyses to determine the association between dietary assessment methods. Findings When the data obtained from the food consumption records were evaluated according to reference method, it was found that the PCC was at moderate and higher level (mean r = 0.513 for 1 × 24HR; r = 0.564 for 3 × FR; and r = 0.452 for FFQ), and the mean ICC was 0.456 for 1 × 24HR, 0.557 for 3 × FR and 0.377 for FFQ. In addition, it was determined that energy and macronutrient values analyzed with Bland–Altman method were consistent with the reference method and that the other methods could also be used instead of the reference method. Under and over reporting was detected in all methods. The method with the highest accurate reporting was 3 × 24HR (72.1%) according to Goldberg standard. In FFQ method, accurate reporting is higher in males (p = 0.01); in other methods, it was determined that there was no significant difference by gender. Originality/value In this study, the consistency of the reference, 3 × 24HR method, with the other three methods was determined to be at a moderate and higher level and that they could replace each other according to characteristics of the participants.