Assignment: A Comparison of Three Dietary Assessment Methods Word count: 1900Introduction The high prevalence of chronic no communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis, not only in developing countries but also in developing countries, highlights the need to improve the methods assessment of dietary intake of food in order to identify the role of diet in the aetiology and prevention of these diseases (Vuckovic et al. 2000). Dietary assessment methods are essential tools in determining food intake of population groups. Because each method has its advantages and limitations, the present review is to analyze and discuss the most important aspects related to these methods. The assessment of nutritional status can be performed after the application of various methods, scope and limitations (Thompson et al. 2001). Although the intake effect on health has received attention a long time, and there are historical studies of interest which is reviewed in another paper in this report, the development of modern methodology began to consider rigorously only from for a couple of decades. There are many dietary methods for diet assessment that include 24-hour recall and telephone recall that are retrospective methods, in addition there are methods such as food frequency and semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, methods that include history of dietary, food record weighed, food diary, prospective method, duplicate portion analysis etc (Wang et al. 2006). However, the three dietary assessment plans used for the completion of this paper are 7-day weighed record, 3-day estimated record, 24 hour recall. The 24 hour recall method is to define and quantify all beverages and food ingested during a period prior to the interview, usually 24 hours before the meeting. Basically the person is asked to remember and describe the type and amount of all foods (including beverages) taken during the previous 24 hours. On the other hand, the 7 day weighed record or food diary is the one in which the practical application of the direct method of assessing individual intake is that the respondent or a representative of this (e.g., A mother for her child) scores in appropriate forms for a period of time, every food and beverages consumed over that period. The method can be carried out without accurately quantify the intake of food and drinks. Finally, the 3-day estimated record or food frequency is useful for providing information about food groups and typical food consumed; reflects the habitual consumption of food (Trabulsi, et al. 2001). Method: Dietary Intake 24 hr recall This method attempts to obtain complete information on dietary intake of an individual during a period of 24 hours. The method required an interviewer that was a classmate to take from 20 to 30 minutes to interview the subject. The interviewer asked extensively on food and beverage consumption during 24 hours prior to the ...

1. Assignment:
A Comparison of Three Dietary Assessment Methods
Word count: 1900Introduction
The high prevalence of chronic no communicable diseases such
as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, obesity and
osteoporosis, not only in developing countries but also in
developing countries, highlights the need to improve the
methods assessment of dietary intake of food in order to
identify the role of diet in the aetiology and prevention of these
diseases (Vuckovic et al. 2000). Dietary assessment methods
are essential tools in determining food intake of population
groups. Because each method has its advantages and limitations,
the present review is to analyze and discuss the most important
aspects related to these methods. The assessment of nutritional
status can be performed after the application of various
methods, scope and limitations (Thompson et al. 2001).
Although the intake effect on health has received attention a
long time, and there are historical studies of interest which is

2. reviewed in another paper in this report, the development of
modern methodology began to consider rigorously only from for
a couple of decades. There are many dietary methods for diet
assessment that include 24-hour recall and telephone recall that
are retrospective methods, in addition there are methods such as
food frequency and semi-quantitative food frequency
questionnaires, methods that include history of dietary, food
record weighed, food diary, prospective method, duplicate
portion analysis etc (Wang et al. 2006). However, the three
dietary assessment plans used for the completion of this paper
are 7-day weighed record, 3-day estimated record, 24 hour
recall.
The 24 hour recall method is to define and quantify all
beverages and food ingested during a period prior to the
interview, usually 24 hours before the meeting. Basically the
person is asked to remember and describe the type and amount
of all foods (including beverages) taken during the previous 24
hours. On the other hand, the 7 day weighed record or food
diary is the one in which the practical application of the direct
method of assessing individual intake is that the respondent or a
representative of this (e.g., A mother for her child) scores in
appropriate forms for a period of time, every food and
beverages consumed over that period. The method can be
carried out without accurately quantify the intake of food and
drinks. Finally, the 3-day estimated record or food frequency is
useful for providing information about food groups and typical
food consumed; reflects the habitual consumption of food
(Trabulsi, et al. 2001).
Method: Dietary Intake
24 hr recall
This method attempts to obtain complete information on dietary
intake of an individual during a period of 24 hours. The method
required an interviewer that was a classmate to take from 20 to
30 minutes to interview the subject. The interviewer asked
extensively on food and beverage consumption during 24 hours
prior to the interview or during the day before the interview

3. from breakfast until the participant’s rest. For an adequate
description of food and beverages, the interviewer asked about
the type of food. For an adequate description of food and
beverages, the interviewer asked about the type, in preparation,
brand name, ingredients recipe and other characteristics. Photo
weight aid was used during the interview as a reference to
estimate the quantities and portions consumed (Gibson, 2005).
Food Diary (7 days)
In this method participant or the subject recorded his diet for a
period of seven days. One or more sheets were intended for each
day of a week. Each line of the sheet had different spaces where
to point the intake schedule, location, the description of the
food, how the food was prepared or cooked and the food
amount. The participant weighted the food using the scale. As
participant consumed food at different location this affected and
consequently changed participant normal diet. (Mahabi, Baer et
al.2006).
Food Frequency (3 days)
In this method the subject indicated the usual frequency of
consumption over 3 days of the foods or food groups. The
subject included in the food sheet amounts or portions
consumed. Any period of time that the participant was unable to
enter information in the charts were completely taken off from
the data (Lindquist et al. 2000).
Participant/ subject is a 59 years female, so basal metabolic rate
(BMR) was calculated to see the amount of daily energy
expended by the participant. Participant different physical
activities levels (PAL) was also calculated see results.
Results
Dietary assessment: Interpreting a dietary assessment report
(Dietplan)
Table 1: Table for Macronutrients
Energy
Fat

4. Carbohydrates
NSP
Protein
Kcal
g
%
g
%
g/d
g
24 hours
184
5
24
16.2
24
2.0
19.7
3 days
736
42.7
52
40.7
21
9.1
40.3
7 days
859
187.2
21
121.3
51
14.7
51.4
DRV

5. 1940
65
33
300
47
18
46.5
Table 2: Table forMicronutrients
Vitamin C
mg
Iron
mg
Calcium
mg
Iodine
ug
Vitamin A
(as retinol equivalents)
g
24 hours
23
1
77
50
266
3 days
71
4
142
5
19
7 days
179
9

6. 429
29
1197
DRV
40 rni
14.8
700
110 mcg
600
BMR=(8.18x95)+(502x1.60)-116
=(777.1+803.2)-116
=1580.3-116 = 1464.3
PAL=Physical activity level a multiple of BMR by people
PAL normal activity1464.3x1.63
PAL=more ativity1464.3kg x1.78=2606
PAL=less activity=1464x1.49=2182
Discussion
The participant intakes are quite different from DRVs expected
for participant age and gender, an example is participant fat
intake that is 52% 3 days assessment, 24% for 24 hours
assessment and 21 % for 7 days assessment, when daily fat
intake should be of 33%. It can be seen the lack of accuracy just
by comparing participant fat intake over 24 hours, 3 and 7 days
methods. Participant carbohydrates percentage intake was 24%
for 24 hours, 21% for 3 days and 51% for 7 days what was
actually quite closed to 47%, the expected carbohydrate intake
for a female over 51 years old, the percentages approximation
might show also that food diaries might be more accurate, but
this will be discuss later in the discussion. Furthermore the
participant is not eating as much fibre (non-starch
polysaccharide) NSP as she should the participant is only
having 2.0 g for 24 hours, 9.1 g for 3 days and 14.7 g for 7
days, the participant is expect to consume 18g of NSP daily.
Respondent protein intake for 3 and 7 days didn’t differed as
much as other macronutrients, respondent protein intake for 3

7. days assessment was of 40.3 g, 7 days assessment was of 51.4,
protein intake for the participant should of 46.5 g.
Calcium and iron mass and other DRV also differ.
The participant calcium intake is extremely low compared to
what the participant should consume; the participant should
consume 700 mg per day however she is only having 77 mg for
24 hour, 142 mg for 3 days and 429 mg for 7 days. Other big
difference is Iron that should be of at least 14.8 mg daily intake
but participant intake is between 1 – 9 mg daily.
For other micronutrients the difference was also great since the
respondent vitamin C intake for 24 hours was of 23 mg, for 3
days was of 71 mg and for 7 days was of 179 mg, the RNI for
vitamin C is of 40 mg, what shows that the subject intake is not
only different but quite unbalanced.
Furthermore it was verified that Iodine intakes was also differed
from the expected intake. Participant intake was of 50 ug for 24
hours, 5 ug for 3 days and 29 ug for 7 days. Already it possible
to observe discrepancies in participant intakes and this also
differs from expected intake of 150 ug.
Finally vitamin A assuming that the calculations are correct also
differ from what is expected the participant to consume.
The participant is overweight however is eating little and in an
unbalanced way according with above mentioned. The subject
might be dieting according with results.
Strengths and Weaknesses of each method
24hour recall
The advantages of this method is that it allows details of food
and the preparation method used, does not require schooling
level of the respondent, participant or subject, does not require
too much memory, is of short duration (20 minutes) and is
useful to apply in groups population. It is known that eating a
day hardly represents the usual diet of an individual, but if this
method is a good alternative for information on populations. It
can be applied to a larger number of cases in a short period of
time and finally is fast and easy to perform. The disadvantages

8. can be mentioned that use it in individual studies is not good
because dietary intake varies widely.
The accuracy of information obtained depends on the correct
identification of the food and their amounts, coding and
calculation procedures to convert dietary nutrient intake and
also depends on the databases used food composition. The
amount of food can be determined directly by considering the
weight of ingested food and drink, and indirectly by estimation
home measures. The use of food models, photographs and
standard household measures was used. It was necessary to
consider the processing food, industrial food that can use the
values supplied by the industry or the nutrient values of the
ingredients of the preparation (Seale et al. 2002).
Food Diary (7 days)
The advantages of this method are primarily based on the
measurement accuracy of the intake, especially when
performing dual track heavy, giving also the fact that the
procedure depends on the individual's memory and it is possible
assess current intake and regular use if registration is done
repeatedly over a representative period. At the other end of the
scale, the method has a number of objective limitations that
make it is not used as often as would be expected from its
advantages. Starting Limitations include the need for the person
(or participant/ subject) participating in the study can read,
write and count / weigh reasonable rigor. But this may not be
enough, and even though the person is competent can cease
process by requiring considerable time and effort, especially in
the case of carrying out the search for heavy, having found that
the accuracy decreases with increasing daily the number of
consecutive days of dietary data collection (Di, Contento et al.
2007).
Food Frequency (3 days)
The main advantages of frequency questionnaire of food

9. consumption, start citing speed and efficiency to determine
usual food consumption over a period of time in an
epidemiological study population, a finding that its use does not
alter the pattern of habitual, and especially the ability to
classify individuals into categories of consumption by this
method. The latter is particularly useful when epidemiological
studies comparing the relative risk of being in the category of
maximum intake exposure versus basal category. They are also
practical advantages such as offering relatively cheap
instruments and without much complexity when its use,
particularly not require trained interviewers, and that are
particularly viable when computer processing. This is structured
by nature and easily. Unfortunately this method, as all previous,
is not without limitations. First it must be recognised that the
development of the instrument is very difficult, which has
consequences such as the uncertain validity in estimating intake
of individuals (or populations) with very different dietary
patterns of food considered in the list. Therefore, the validity
must be established for each new questionnaire and population.
It is also a method that has a particular complexity in the case
of children and the elderly, as it requires memory of past eating
habits; problem is that in some cases intensified (Lillegaard et
al. 2007).
References
Di, N. J., Contento, I. R., and Schinke, S. P. (2007). Criterion
validity of the Healthy Eating Self monitoring Tool (HEST) for
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Gibson, R. S. (2005). ‘‘Principles of Nutritional Assessment.’’
Oxford University Press, New York.
Lindquist, C. H., Cummings, T., and Goran, M. I. (2000). Use
of tape-recorded food records in assessing children’s dietary
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Lillegaard, I. T., Loken, E. B., and Andersen, L. F. (2007).
Relative validation of a pre-coded food diary among children,

10. under-reporting varies with reporting day and time of the
day.Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 61, 61–68.
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Hartman, T. J., Clevidence, B., Albanes, D., and Taylor, P. R.
(2006). Calorie intake misreporting by diet record and food
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Treatment of Disease’’ (A. M. Coulston, C. L. Rock,
and E. R. Monsen, Eds.). Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp.
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(2000). A qualitative study of participants’ experiences with
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APPENDICES: Are attached.
1