Validation of digital photographs, as a tool in 24-h recall, for the improvement of dietary assessment among rural populations in developing countries
Author
Summary, in English
Background
Improvement of traditional methods for dietary assessment is necessary,
especially in rural areas where it is more difficult to succeed with
self-reporting methods. This study presents and validates a method for
improving accuracy when measuring food and nutrient intake of
individuals in rural areas. It is called the “Food photography 24-h
recall method” (FP 24-hR) and is a modified 24-h recall with the
addition of a digital food photography record and a photo atlas.
Methods
The study was carried out in a rural area in the tropical region of
Bolivia; 45 women participated. Validation of the method was made by
comparing it with a reference method, the Weighed Food Record (WFR).
During the FP 24-hR, digital photographs were taken by the subjects of
all food consumed during a day and a 24-h recall questionnaire was
conducted by an interviewer. An estimate of the amount of food consumed
was made using a photo atlas and the photographs taken by the subjects.
For validation, comparison was made between the calculations, by both
methods, of the levels of food, and nutrient, intake.
Results
The comparison was made in 10 food categories; most of which were
somewhat underestimated from −2.3% (cassava) to −6.8% (rice), except for
beverages (+1.6%) and leafy vegetables (+8.7%), which were
overestimated. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were highly
significant (r from 0.75 for eggs to 0.98 for potato and
cassava). Nutrient intakes calculated with data from both methods showed
small differences from -0.90% (vitamin C) to -5.98% (fat). Although all
nutrients were somewhat underestimated, Pearson′s
coefficients are high (>0.93 for all) and statistically significant.
Bland Altman analysis showed that differences between both methods were
random and did not exhibit any systematic bias over levels of food and
nutrient intake, with acceptable 95% limits of agreement.
Conclusion
The FP 24-hR exhibits acceptable differences when compared with a WFR,
digital photos are useful as a memory aid for the subjects during 24-h
recall and as an estimation tool. The method is suitable for assessing
dietary intake among rural populations in developing countries.
Improvement of traditional methods for dietary assessment is necessary,
especially in rural areas where it is more difficult to succeed with
self-reporting methods. This study presents and validates a method for
improving accuracy when measuring food and nutrient intake of
individuals in rural areas. It is called the “Food photography 24-h
recall method” (FP 24-hR) and is a modified 24-h recall with the
addition of a digital food photography record and a photo atlas.
Methods
The study was carried out in a rural area in the tropical region of
Bolivia; 45 women participated. Validation of the method was made by
comparing it with a reference method, the Weighed Food Record (WFR).
During the FP 24-hR, digital photographs were taken by the subjects of
all food consumed during a day and a 24-h recall questionnaire was
conducted by an interviewer. An estimate of the amount of food consumed
was made using a photo atlas and the photographs taken by the subjects.
For validation, comparison was made between the calculations, by both
methods, of the levels of food, and nutrient, intake.
Results
The comparison was made in 10 food categories; most of which were
somewhat underestimated from −2.3% (cassava) to −6.8% (rice), except for
beverages (+1.6%) and leafy vegetables (+8.7%), which were
overestimated. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were highly
significant (r from 0.75 for eggs to 0.98 for potato and
cassava). Nutrient intakes calculated with data from both methods showed
small differences from -0.90% (vitamin C) to -5.98% (fat). Although all
nutrients were somewhat underestimated, Pearson′s
coefficients are high (>0.93 for all) and statistically significant.
Bland Altman analysis showed that differences between both methods were
random and did not exhibit any systematic bias over levels of food and
nutrient intake, with acceptable 95% limits of agreement.
Conclusion
The FP 24-hR exhibits acceptable differences when compared with a WFR,
digital photos are useful as a memory aid for the subjects during 24-h
recall and as an estimation tool. The method is suitable for assessing
dietary intake among rural populations in developing countries.
Department/s
- Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Publication/Series
Nutrition Journal
Volume
11
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
Topic
- Nutrition and Dietetics
Keywords
- 24-h recall
- Developing countries
- Digital photographs
- Photo atlas
- Weighed record
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1475-2891