Comparison of the NHANES dietary screener questionnaire to the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Recall for Children in the Healthy Communities Study

Sridharshi Chintha Hewawitharana; Frances Elizabeth Thompson; Catherine M Loria; Warren Strauss; Jyothi Nagaraja; Lorrene Ritchie; Karen Lucy Webb

doi:10.1186/s12937-018-0415-1

Comparison of the NHANES dietary screener questionnaire to the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Recall for Children in the Healthy Communities Study

Nutr J. 2018 Nov 27;17(1):111. doi: 10.1186/s12937-018-0415-1.

Authors

Sridharshi Chintha Hewawitharana¹, Frances Elizabeth Thompson², Catherine M Loria³, Warren Strauss⁴, Jyothi Nagaraja⁴, Lorrene Ritchie⁵, Karen Lucy Webb⁵

Affiliations

¹ Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, 2115 Milvia Street, Third floor, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA. shewawitharana@ucanr.edu.
² Risk Factor Assessment Branch, Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rm. 4E124, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9763, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
³ Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Suite 10018, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁴ Battelle, 505 King Ave, Columbus, OH, 43201, USA.
⁵ Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, 2115 Milvia Street, Third floor, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA.

Abstract

Background: A dietary screener questionnaire (DSQ) was used to assess dietary outcomes among children in the Healthy Communities Study (HCS), a study of the relationships between programs and policies to prevent child obesity and child diet, physical activity and weight outcomes.

Methods: To compare dietary intake estimates derived from the DSQ against those from the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Recalls for Children (ASA24-Kids) among children, a measurement error model, using structural equation modelling, was utilized to estimate slopes, deattenuated correlation coefficients, and attenuation factors by age and sex, ethnicity, and BMI status.

Participants/setting: A randomly selected sub-sample of HCS participants aged 4-15 years in 130 communities throughout the U.S. who completed the DSQ and up to two ASA24-Kids recalls (n = 656;13% of HCS participants).

Results: For most nutrient/foods examined, the DSQ yielded larger mean intake estimates than the ASA24-Kids, and agreement between the two measures varied by food/nutrient, age and sex, ethnicity, and BMI category. Deattenuated correlation coefficients of 0.4 or greater were observed for added sugars from SSBs (0.54), fruits and vegetables (0.40), and dairy foods (0.50). Lower deattenuated correlation coefficients were seen for total added sugars (0.37), whole grains (0.34), and fiber (0.34). Attenuation factors were most severe for total added sugars intake among overweight children, and for several other dietary outcomes among children aged 9-11 years.

Conclusions: The DSQ was found to be a tool with acceptable agreement with the ASA24-Kids for measuring multiple dietary outcomes of interest in the HCS, although there may be potential due to measurement error to underestimate results (bias towards the null). In future studies, measurement error modelling and regression calibration may be possible solutions to correct for bias due to measurement error in most food/nutrient intake estimates from the DSQ when used among children.

Keywords: ASA24-kids; Concurrent validity; DSQ; Dietary screener; FFQ.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Diet / methods
Diet / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Humans
Male
Nutrition Assessment*
Nutrition Surveys / methods*
Nutrition Surveys / statistics & numerical data*
Reproducibility of Results
Self Report*
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States

Grants and funding

HHSN268201000041C/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (US)/International