A Study on the Compatibility of a Food-Recording Application with Questionnaire-Based Methods in Healthy Japanese Individuals

Abstract

In Japan, nutritional guidance based on food-recording apps and food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) is becoming popular. However, it is not always recognized that different dietary assessment methods have different nutritional values. Here, we compared the compatibility of dietary intake data obtained from an app with those obtained from FFQs in 59 healthy individuals who recorded information regarding their diet for at least 7 days per month using an app developed by Asken (Tokyo, Japan). The diurnal coefficient of variation in total energy and protein intake was 20%, but those for vitamins B12 and D were >80%, reflecting the importance of 7 days of recording rather than a single day of recording for dietary intake analyses. Then, we compared the results of two FFQs—one based on food groups and one based on a brief self-administered diet history questionnaire—for 7 days, as recorded by the app. There was a correlation coefficient of >0.4 for all the items except salt. Regarding the compatibility between the app and FFQs, the percentage errors for total energy and nutrients were >40–50%, suggesting no agreement between the app and the two FFQs. In conclusion, careful attention should be paid to the impact of different dietary assessment methods on nutrient assessment.