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Design and results of the pretest of the IDEFICS study

International Journal of Obesity volume 35, pages S30–S44 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Background:

During the preparatory phase of the baseline survey of the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study, standardised survey procedures including instruments, examinations, methods, biological sampling and software tools were developed and pretested for their feasibility, robustness and acceptability.

Methods:

A pretest was conducted of full survey procedures in 119 children aged 2–9 years in nine European survey centres (Nper centre=4–27, mean 13.22). Novel techniques such as ultrasound measurements to assess subcutaneous fat and bone health, heart rate monitors combined with accelerometers and sensory taste perception tests were used.

Results:

Biological sampling, physical examinations, sensory taste perception tests, parental questionnaire and medical interview required only minor amendments, whereas physical fitness tests required major adaptations. Callipers for skinfold measurements were favoured over ultrasonography, as the latter showed only a low-to-modest agreement with calliper measurements (correlation coefficients of r=−0.22 and r=0.67 for all children). The combination of accelerometers with heart rate monitors was feasible in school children only. Implementation of the computer-based 24-h dietary recall required a complex and intensive developmental stage. It was combined with the assessment of school meals, which was changed after the pretest from portion weighing to the more feasible observation of the consumed portion size per child. The inclusion of heel ultrasonometry as an indicator of bone stiffness was the most important amendment after the pretest.

Discussion:

Feasibility and acceptability of all procedures had to be balanced against their scientific value. Extensive pretesting, training and subsequent refinement of the methods were necessary to assess the feasibility of all instruments and procedures in routine fieldwork and to exchange or modify procedures that would otherwise give invalid or misleading results.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of the IDEFICS study (http://www.idefics.eu). We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the European Community within the Sixth RTD Framework Programme Contract No. 016181 (FOOD). We have received grant support from the European Union for the IDEFICS study.

The information in this document reflects the authors’ view and is provided as is.

Statement of ethics

We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations regarding the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during this research. Approval by the appropriate ethics committees was obtained by each of the eight centres carrying out the fieldwork. Study children did not undergo any procedure before both they and their parents gave consent for examinations, collection of samples, subsequent analysis and storage of personal data and collected samples. Participants and their parents could consent to single components of the study while abstaining from others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    M Suling, A Hebestreit, J Peplies, K Bammann & W Ahrens

  2. Institute of Food Sciences of the National Research Council, Avellino, Italy

    A Nappo

  3. Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    G Eiben

  4. Department of Physiatrics and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    J M Fernández Alvira

  5. Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium

    V Verbestel

  6. Department of Paediatrics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    É Kovács

  7. Institute for Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Y P Pitsiladis

  8. National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia

    T Veidebaum

  9. Research and Education Institute of Child Health, Strovolos, Cyprus

    C Hadjigeorgiou

  10. Bremerhaven Technology Transfer Centre, Bremerhaven, Germany

    K Knof

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Suling, M., Hebestreit, A., Peplies, J. et al. Design and results of the pretest of the IDEFICS study. Int J Obes 35 (Suppl 1), S30–S44 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.33

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