Abstract
Background
Practitioners and researchers are interested in assessing children's dietary intake
and physical activity together to maximize resources and minimize subject burden.
Objective
Our aim was to investigate differences in dietary and/or physical activity recall
accuracy by content (diet only; physical activity only; diet and physical activity),
retention interval (same-day recalls in the afternoon; previous-day recalls in the
morning), and grade (third; fifth).
Design
Children (n=144; 66% African American, 13% white, 12% Hispanic, 9% other; 50% girls)
from four schools were randomly selected for interviews about one of three contents.
Each content group was equally divided by retention interval, each equally divided
by grade, each equally divided by sex. Information concerning diet and physical activity
at school was validated with school-provided breakfast and lunch observations, and
accelerometry, respectively. Dietary accuracy measures were food-item omission and
intrusion rates, and kilocalorie correspondence rate and inflation ratio. Physical
activity accuracy measures were absolute and arithmetic differences for moderate to
vigorous physical activity minutes.
Statistical analyses performed
For each accuracy measure, linear models determined effects of content, retention
interval, grade, and their two-way and three-way interactions; ethnicity and sex were
control variables.
Results
Content was significant within four interactions: intrusion rate (content×retention-interval×grade;
P=0.0004), correspondence rate (content×grade; P=0.0004), inflation ratio (content×grade; P=0.0104), and arithmetic difference (content×retention-interval×grade; P=0.0070). Retention interval was significant for correspondence rate (P=0.0004), inflation ratio (P=0.0014), and three interactions: omission rate (retention-interval×grade; P=0.0095), intrusion rate, and arithmetic difference (both already mentioned). Grade
was significant for absolute difference (P=0.0233) and five interactions mentioned. Content effects depended on other factors.
Grade effects were mixed. Dietary accuracy was better with same-day than previous-day
retention interval.
Conclusions
Results do not support integrating dietary intake and physical activity in children's
recalls, but do support using shorter rather than longer retention intervals to yield
more accurate dietary recalls. Additional validation studies need to clarify age effects
and identify evidence-based practices to improve children's accuracy for recalling
dietary intake and/or physical activity.
Keywords
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Biography
S. D. Baxter is a research professor, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
C. H. Guinn is a research dietitian, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
K. K. Vaadi is a research dietitian, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
M. P. Puryear is a research dietitian, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
J. A. Royer is a data programmer/analyst, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
D. B. Hitchcock is an associate professor, Department of Statistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
K. L. McIver is a measurement coordinator, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
M. Dowda is a biostatistician, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
R. R. Pate is a professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Biography
D. K. Wilson is a professor, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 24, 2014
Accepted:
February 17,
2014
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST S. D. Baxter's current and past research has been funded externally by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Agriculture. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is on the Board of Editors for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. D. B. Hitchcock's research has been funded by the South Carolina Department of Education and the University of South Carolina Research and Productivity Program. R. R. Pate's current and past research has been funded externally by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is on the Board of Editors for the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Childhood Obesity, and Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. D. K. Wilson's current and past research has been funded externally by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health. She is on the Board of Editors for Health Psychology and Ethnicity and Disease. No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the remaining authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This research was supported by competitive grant R21HL093406 (with S. D. Baxter and R. R. Pate as Co-Principal Investigators) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute or the National Institutes of Health.
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© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
