Dietary assessment

Question 1

What is the ABCD of nutritional status?

Answer 1

A - Anthropometry (weight, height, BMI)
B - Biochemical measures (e.g. fat levels)
C - Clinical assessment (e.g. blood pressure)
D - Dietary intake

Question 2

What occurs in a 24-hour dietary recall?

Answer 2

• Recall all food intake during 24 hour period
• Complete list of food
• Estimated of the amount of each food and beverage - portion size
• Description of food

Question 3

What is a 24 hour dietary recall used for?

Answer 3

• Average usual intakes of large populations
• Comparisons of large populations
• Can be used with illiterate population

Question 4

What are lifestyle risk factors?

Answer 4

• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Physical activity
• Drug use
• Social/ family medical history

Question 5

What is involved in taking diet history?

Answer 5

• Gaining consent - explaining what it involves, how long it will take, how information with be used.
• Information gathering - open ended questions, avoid leading questions

Question 6

What is a multiple pass recal?

Answer 6

3-pass 24 hour recall

• Diet assessed over 3-5 days
• First pass - quick list of food consumed
• Second pass - information about the meal, snacks consumed, time and place
• Third pass - prompts for forgotten food
• Review of record and details of food consumed and portion sizes
• Aim to minimise under-reporting and the burden on respondent

Question 7

What are the limitations on dietary history?

Answer 7

• Relies on memory
• Estimated portion sizes
• Misreporting
• Single observation - doesn’t ensure ‘usual’ intake
• Expensive - requires a skilled communicator
• Food composition data is limited

Question 8

What are the limitations of weight food record?

Answer 8

• High respondent burden
• Requires writing/ ability to record
• Misreporting
• Altered eating patterns
• Expensive - scales, resources
• Food composition data limited
• Time to teach methodology

Question 9

What do food frequency surveys do and what are they?

Answer 9

• Asses frequency with which food items/ food groups are consumed during a specified time - can focus on particular nutrients of interest
• Computerised self-administered questionnaires
• Useful in epidemiological studies for comparison with specific disease processes
• Identifies food patterns associated with inadequate intakes of specific nutrients

Question 10

What are the limitations of food frequency surveys?

Answer 10

• Estimation of portion size
• Possible over-reporting of health foods
• Requires to be validated in relation to reference method