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Comparability of dietary patterns assessed by multiple dietary assessment methods: results from the 1946 British Birth Cohort

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 341–352 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the consistency of dietary patterns assessed through the use of a dietary recall and a 5-day food diary.

Design:

Participants (n=2265) of a longitudinal study of health and development completed 48-h dietary recall at interview, followed by a 5-day food diary and with the 24 h immediately preceding the interview analysed separately as a 24-h recall. Mean intakes of foods and nutrients were calculated and dietary patterns were assessed using exploratory factor analysis, using the method of principal components. Paired t-tests and correlation coefficients were used to compare the three dietary assessment methods.

Results:

Five distinct dietary patterns were identified using the food diary and the 48-h recall but were less consistent on the 24-h recall. Correlations between factor scores on the 48-h recall and the food diary (r=0.13–0.67) were higher than those between the 24-h recall and food diary (r=−0.01–0.59). The recall methods were effective at ranking subjects according to food and nutrient intakes, with the 48-h recall and food diary showing higher correlations in both males and females.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that a 48-h recall effectively characterises dietary patterns in British adults when compared to a food diary and ranks participants appropriately with respect to most nutrients and foods and is superior to a single 24-h recall. These results have implications for longitudinal studies where maximising response rates to repeat dietary assessment tools is essential.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants of the NSHD study for their commitment to the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, UK

    S A McNaughton, G D Mishra, G Bramwell & A A Paul

  2. MRC National Survey of Health and Development, University College and Royal Free Medical School, London, UK

    M E J Wadsworth

Authors
  1. S A McNaughton
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  2. G D Mishra
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  3. G Bramwell
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  4. A A Paul
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  5. M E J Wadsworth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G D Mishra.

Additional information

Guarantor: GD Mishra.

Contributors: SAM contributed to development of the study hypothesis, reviewed the literature, provided interpretation of results, drafted and edited the manuscript. GDM conceptualised the paper, guided and conducted the statistical analysis, assisted with drafting and editing of the manuscript. GB conducted statistical analysis and assisted with drafting the manuscript. AAP was responsible for management of dietary data, edited the manuscript and provided advice regarding interpretation of the results. MEJW was responsible for the study design, data collection, edited the manuscript and provided advice regarding interpretation of the results. None of the contributing authors had any financial or personal interests in any of the bodies sponsoring this research.

Appendix

Appendix

Table a1 Description of the food groupings used in the dietary pattern analysis
Full size table

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McNaughton, S., Mishra, G., Bramwell, G. et al. Comparability of dietary patterns assessed by multiple dietary assessment methods: results from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 341–352 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602079

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602079

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