Mis-reporting of energy intake among older Australian adults: Prevalence, characteristics, and associations with quality of life

Thara Govindaraju; Tracy A McCaffrey; John J McNeil; Christopher M Reid; Ben J Smith; Duncan J Campbell; Alice J Owen

doi:10.1016/j.nut.2021.111259

Mis-reporting of energy intake among older Australian adults: Prevalence, characteristics, and associations with quality of life

Nutrition. 2021 Oct:90:111259. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111259. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Authors

Thara Govindaraju¹, Tracy A McCaffrey², John J McNeil¹, Christopher M Reid³, Ben J Smith⁴, Duncan J Campbell⁵, Alice J Owen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Monash University, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia.
² Monash University, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Monash University, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia; Curtin University, School of Public Health, Perth, Australia.
⁴ Monash University, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia; The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia; University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
⁶ Monash University, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: alice.owen@monash.edu.

PMID: 33975061
DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111259

Abstract

Objectives: Mis-reporting is common in dietary assessment, leading to misinterpretation of disease risk and could be important in older adults with increased chronic disease risk. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of mis-reporting among older adults and its association with health outcomes including quality of life (QoL).

Methods: The study was conducted in 335 community-dwelling older adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, participating in the SCReening Evaluation of the Evolution of New Heart Failure Study dietary substudy. Diet was assessed using 4-day weighed food diaries, QoL measured through Short Form 36, and physical activity assessed using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition physical activity questionnaire. Dietary mis-reporting was defined based on Goldberg cutoffs, using individual physical activity levels. Odds ratios were determined to establish associations between mis-reporting and health outcomes.

Results: The prevalence of mis-reporting among older adults was 49.3%, with 44.5% of women mis-reporting their energy intake. The study found under-reporting of energy to be associated with body mass index, specifically being overweight (odds ratio: 3.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54-6.15) and obese (odds ratio: 6.60; 95% CI, 3.05-4.26), as well as physical inactivity (odds ratio: 0.24; 95% CI, 0.14-0.43). Only physical inactivity predicted over-reporting of dietary intake (odds ratio: 7.52; 95% CI, 1.57-36.0).

Conclusions: Dietary under-reporting was associated with being overweight, obese, and physically inactive in addition to the absence of comorbidities, reinforcing the need for further research in older adults to factor in dietary mis-reporting for meaningful diet-disease relationship analyses.

Keywords: Dietary assessment; Energy mis-reporting; Older adults; Physical activity; Quality of life.

MeSH terms

Aged
Australia / epidemiology
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet
Energy Intake*
Female
Humans
Prevalence
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life*