A Qualitative Analysis of the Remote Food Photography Method and the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool for Assessing Children's Food Intake Reported by Parent Proxy.

BACKGROUND: Accuracy and participant burden are two key considerations in the selection of a dietary assessment tool for assessing children's full-day dietary intake. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify barriers experienced by parents and burden when using two technology-based measures of dietary intake to report their child's intake: the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) and the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24). DESIGN: Qualitative, semistructured, focus groups were conducted with parents who served as proxy reporters of their child's dietary intake using the two different dietary assessment methods (ie, RFPM and ASA24) 1 week apart. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: This study was conducted in 2019 and included 32 parents of children aged 7 to 8 years in Colorado and Louisiana. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Barriers adhering to the protocol and burden with the RFPM and ASA24. QUALITATIVE ANALYSES: Qualitative content analysis and Atlas.ti software were used to analyze and interpret focus group data. RESULTS: For the RFPM, parents described missing photos due to unobserved intake, forgetting to capture images, disruption of mealtimes, and child embarrassment when meals were photographed at school. For the ASA24, parents described the time commitment as the main source of burden and the need to expand the food database to include additional ethnic foods and restaurant items. The main strengths were ease of use for the RFPM and the consolidated workload for the ASA24. CONCLUSIONS: The barriers experienced by parents and burden differed by method, highlighting the importance of considering the unique characteristics of each assessment tool when designing a pediatric dietary assessment study and interpreting findings.

A comparison of the remote food photography method and the automated self-administered 24-h dietary assessment tool for measuring full-day dietary intake among school-age children.

The limitations of self-report measures of dietary intake are well-known. Novel, technology-based measures of dietary intake may provide a more accurate, less burdensome alternative to existing tools. The first objective of this study was to compare participant burden for two technology-based measures of dietary intake among school-age children: the Automated-Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool-2018 (ASA24-2018) and the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM). The second objective was to compare reported energy intake for each method to the Estimated Energy Requirement for each child, as a benchmark for actual intake. Forty parent-child dyads participated in two, 3-d dietary assessments: a parent proxy-reported version of the ASA24 and the RFPM. A parent survey was subsequently administered to compare satisfaction, ease of use and burden with each method. A linear mixed model examined differences in total daily energy intake between assessments, and between each assessment method and the Estimated Energy Requirement (EER). Reported energy intake was 379 kcal higher with the ASA24 than the RFPM (P = 0·0002). Reported energy intake with the ASA24 was 231 kcal higher than the EER (P = 0·008). Reported energy intake with the RFPM did not differ significantly from the EER (difference in predicted means = -148 kcal, P = 0·09). Median satisfaction and ease of use scores were five out of six for both methods. A higher proportion of parents reported that the ASA24 was more time-consuming than the RFPM (74·4 % v. 25·6 %, P = 0·002). Utilisation of both methods is warranted given their high satisfaction among parents.

Disparities in Risks of Inadequate and Excessive Intake of Micronutrients during Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate or excessive intake of micronutrients in pregnancy has potential to negatively impact maternal/offspring health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to compare risks of inadequate or excessive micronutrient intake in diverse females with singleton pregnancies by strata of maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, and prepregnancy BMI. METHODS: Fifteen observational cohorts in the US Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Consortium assessed participant dietary intake with 24-h dietary recalls (n = 1910) or food-frequency questionnaires (n = 7891) from 1999-2019. We compared the distributions of usual intake of 19 micronutrients from food alone (15 cohorts; n = 9801) and food plus dietary supplements (10 cohorts with supplement data; n = 7082) to estimate the proportion with usual daily intakes below their age-specific daily Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), above their Adequate Intake (AI), and above their Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), overall and within sociodemographic and anthropometric subgroups. RESULTS: Risk of inadequate intake from food alone ranged from 0% to 87%, depending on the micronutrient and assessment methodology. When dietary supplements were included, some women were below the EAR for vitamin D (20-38%), vitamin E (17-22%), and magnesium (39-41%); some women were above the AI for vitamin K (63-75%), choline (7%), and potassium (37-53%); and some were above the UL for folic acid (32-51%), iron (39-40%), and zinc (19-20%). Highest risks for inadequate intakes were observed among participants with age 14-18 y (6 nutrients), non-White race or Hispanic ethnicity (10 nutrients), less than a high school education (9 nutrients), or obesity (9 nutrients). CONCLUSIONS: Improved diet quality is needed for most pregnant females. Even with dietary supplement use, >20% of participants were at risk of inadequate intake of ≥1 micronutrients, especially in some population subgroups. Pregnancy may be a window of opportunity to address disparities in micronutrient intake that could contribute to intergenerational health inequalities.

A power approximation for the Kenward and Roger Wald test in the linear mixed model.

We derive a noncentral [Formula: see text] power approximation for the Kenward and Roger test. We use a method of moments approach to form an approximate distribution for the Kenward and Roger scaled Wald statistic, under the alternative. The result depends on the approximate moments of the unscaled Wald statistic. Via Monte Carlo simulation, we demonstrate that the new power approximation is accurate for cluster randomized trials and longitudinal study designs. The method retains accuracy for small sample sizes, even in the presence of missing data. We illustrate the method with a power calculation for an unbalanced group-randomized trial in oral cancer prevention.

Sociodemographic Predictors of Adherence to National Diet and Physical Activity Guidelines at Age 5 Years: The Healthy Start Study.

PURPOSE: To assess adherence to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines, and identify sociodemographic predictors of adherence among children. DESIGN: Cross sectional. SETTING: Colorado, United States. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 5 (n = 482). MEASURES: Sex, race/ethnicity, maternal education, maternal employment, maternal subjective social status and household income were assessed via questionnaires. Diet was assessed via 2 interviewer-administered 24-hour dietary recalls. Physical activity was objectively-measured with accelerometry for 7 days. Adherence was defined as a Healthy Eating Index-2015 score of ≥70 and/or ≥6 hours/day of light, moderate and vigorous activity. ANALYSIS: For each predictor, logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for adherence to the diet guidelines only, the activity guidelines only or both guidelines. RESULTS: In the full sample, 29% of children were non-adherent to both guidelines, 6% adhered to the dietary guidelines only, 50% adhered to the activity guidelines only and 14% adhered to both. Girls had a 41% lower odds of adhering to the physical activity guidelines than boys (p = 0.01), after adjustment for race/ethnicity, household income and maternal education level, perceived social status and employment status. CONCLUSION: Efforts to improve the health of young children should promote adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans among all children. Targeted interventions that increase physical activity among girls may help to mitigate health disparities.

Combined environmental and social exposures during pregnancy and associations with neonatal size and body composition: the Healthy Start study.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal environmental and social exposures have been associated with decreased birth weight. However, the effects of combined exposures in these domains are not fully understood. Here we assessed multi-domain exposures for participants in the Healthy Start study (Denver, CO) and tested associations with neonatal size and body composition. METHODS: In separate linear regression models, we tested associations between neonatal outcomes and three indices for exposures. Two indices were developed to describe exposures to environmental hazards (ENV) and social determinants of health (SOC). A third index combined exposures in both domains (CE = ENV/10 × SOC/10). Index scores were assigned to mothers based on address at enrollment. Birth weight and length were measured at delivery, and weight-for-length z-scores were calculated using a reference distribution. Percent fat mass was obtained by air displacement plethysmography. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 897 (64%) participants. Median (range) ENV, SOC, and CE values were 31.9 (7.1-63.2), 36.0 (2.8-75.0), and 10.9 (0.4-45.7), respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, 10-point increases in SOC and CE were associated with 27.7 g (95%CI: 12.4 - 42.9 g) and 56.3 g (19.4 - 93.2 g) decreases in birth weight, respectively. SOC and CE were also associated with decreases in % fat mass. CONCLUSIONS: Combined exposures during pregnancy were associated with lower birth weight and % fat mass. Evidence of a potential synergistic effect between ENV and SOC suggests a need to more fully consider neighborhood exposures when assessing neonatal outcomes.

Assessment of the US Federal Retailer Violation Rate as an Estimate of the Proportion of Retailers That Illegally Sell Tobacco to Adolescents.

Importance: Despite progress against tobacco sales to minors, retailers continue to violate state and federal laws and supply adolescent smokers with tobacco products. Government-sanctioned surveys underestimate the extent of the problem, and retailer associations use these data to block stricter enforcement policies. Objectives: To assess the validity of the US federal retailer violation rate (RVR) as an estimate of the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco to minors and to investigate what proportion always or almost always sells vs refuses to sell cigarettes to minors. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study was conducted October 6, 2012, to September 8, 2013; data were analyzed between September 28, 2017, and March 21, 2018. The setting was a suburban county adjacent to Denver, Colorado. Participants were a systematically selected, population-based cluster sample of retailers that stock cigarettes for sale. Retailers were masked to the survey. Main Outcomes and Measures: Each retailer was visited 6 times by supervised minors who attempted to purchase cigarettes at each visit. The main outcome was whether cigarettes were sold. Other measures included whether government-issued photo identification (ID) was requested as required by law, how ID was examined, and what the demographic characteristics of study minors and clerks were. Results: The sample of 201 retailers (44.8% of the 449 listed population) included convenience stores (n = 77), liquor stores (n = 63), grocery stores/supermarkets (n = 33), pharmacies (n = 17), tobacco stores (n = 7), and stand-alone gas stations (n = 4). Bars, clubs, and adult establishments were excluded. A total of 1181 purchase attempts were analyzed; 25 (2.1%) were excluded for missing data. The mean RVR across 6 rounds of checks was 18.0% (95% CI, 14.7%-21.2%) and ranged from 13.7% to 28.0% per round. Most retailers (54.7% [110 of 201]) violated at least once in 6 visits, 26.4% (53 of 201) violated at least twice, and 11.9% (24 of 201) violated half or more times. How retailers examined proof of age largely determined whether violations occurred. Conclusions and Relevance: The proportion of retailers that sold cigarettes to a minor at least once in 6 attempts was 3 times higher than the mean RVR based on a single inspection per retailer. Larger replication studies are needed. Enforcement protocols should reflect the fact that each retailer does not respond consistently when adolescents try to buy tobacco products, and many retailers are not properly validating ID that shows proof of age.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Utilization in the United States: A Survey of Physician Members of the Society of Breast Imaging.

PURPOSE: To assess utilization of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and examine criteria for offering DBT to patients. METHODS: We created an online survey for physician members of the Society of Breast Imaging to assess their use of DBT. The questions covered availability of DBT at the participant's practice, whether DBT was used for clinical care or research, clinical decision rules guiding patient selection for DBT, costs associated with DBT, plans to obtain DBT, and breast imaging practice characteristics. Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression were used to compare DBT users and nonusers. RESULTS: In all, 670 members responded (response rate = 37%). Of these, 200 (30.0%) respondents reported using DBT, with 89% of these using DBT clinically. Participants were more likely to report DBT use if they worked at an academic practice (odds ratio [OR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41 to 3.03; P < .001), a practice with more than 3 breast imagers (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.62 to 3.43; P < .001), or a practice with 7 or more mammography units (OR, 3.05; 95% CI, 2.11 to 4.39; P < .001). Criteria used to select patients to undergo DBT varied, with 107 (68.2%) using exam type (screening versus diagnostic), 25 (15.9%) using mammographic density, and 25 (15.9%) using breast cancer risk. Fees for DBT ranged from $25 to $250. In addition, 62.3% of nonusers planned to obtain DBT. CONCLUSION: DBT is becoming more common but remains a limited resource. Clinical guidelines would assist practices in deciding whether to adopt DBT and in standardizing which patients should receive DBT.

Multivariate test power approximations for balanced linear mixed models in studies with missing data.

Multilevel and longitudinal studies are frequently subject to missing data. For example, biomarker studies for oral cancer may involve multiple assays for each participant. Assays may fail, resulting in missing data values that can be assumed to be missing completely at random. Catellier and Muller proposed a data analytic technique to account for data missing at random in multilevel and longitudinal studies. They suggested modifying the degrees of freedom for both the Hotelling-Lawley trace F statistic and its null case reference distribution. We propose parallel adjustments to approximate power for this multivariate test in studies with missing data. The power approximations use a modified non-central F statistic, which is a function of (i) the expected number of complete cases, (ii) the expected number of non-missing pairs of responses, or (iii) the trimmed sample size, which is the planned sample size reduced by the anticipated proportion of missing data. The accuracy of the method is assessed by comparing the theoretical results to the Monte Carlo simulated power for the Catellier and Muller multivariate test. Over all experimental conditions, the closest approximation to the empirical power of the Catellier and Muller multivariate test is obtained by adjusting power calculations with the expected number of complete cases. The utility of the method is demonstrated with a multivariate power analysis for a hypothetical oral cancer biomarkers study. We describe how to implement the method using standard, commercially available software products and give example code. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Digital breast tomosynthesis utilization in the United States: a survey of physician members of the Society of Breast Imaging.

PURPOSE: To assess utilization of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and examine criteria for offering DBT to patients. METHODS: We created an online survey for physician members of the Society of Breast Imaging to assess their use of DBT. The questions covered availability of DBT at the participant's practice, whether DBT was used for clinical care or research, clinical decision rules guiding patient selection for DBT, costs associated with DBT, plans to obtain DBT, and breast imaging practice characteristics. Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression were used to compare DBT users and nonusers. RESULTS: In all, 670 members responded (response rate = 37%). Of these, 200 (30.0%) respondents reported using DBT, with 89% of these using DBT clinically. Participants were more likely to report DBT use if they worked at an academic practice (odds ratio [OR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41 to 3.03; P < .001), a practice with more than 3 breast imagers (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.62 to 3.43; P < .001), or a practice with 7 or more mammography units (OR, 3.05; 95% CI, 2.11 to 4.39; P < .001). Criteria used to select patients to undergo DBT varied, with 107 (68.2%) using exam type (screening versus diagnostic), 25 (15.9%) using mammographic density, and 25 (15.9%) using breast cancer risk. Fees for DBT ranged from $25 to $250. In addition, 62.3% of nonusers planned to obtain DBT. CONCLUSION: DBT is becoming more common but remains a limited resource. Clinical guidelines would assist practices in deciding whether to adopt DBT and in standardizing which patients should receive DBT.

Reducing decision errors in the paired comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of screening tests with Gaussian outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Scientists often use a paired comparison of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves to decide which continuous cancer screening test has the best diagnostic accuracy. In the paired design, all participants are screened with both tests. Participants with suspicious results or signs and symptoms of disease receive the reference standard test. The remaining participants are classified as non-cases, even though some may have occult disease. The standard analysis includes all study participants, which can create bias in the estimates of diagnostic accuracy since not all participants receive disease status verification. We propose a weighted maximum likelihood bias correction method to reduce decision errors. METHODS: Using Monte Carlo simulations, we assessed the method's ability to reduce decision errors across a range of disease prevalences, correlations between screening test scores, rates of interval cases and proportions of participants who received the reference standard test. RESULTS: The performance of the method depends on characteristics of the screening tests and the disease and on the percentage of participants who receive the reference standard test. In studies with a large amount of bias in the difference in the full areas under the curves, the bias correction method reduces the Type I error rate and improves power for the correct decision. We demonstrate the method with an application to a hypothetical oral cancer screening study. CONCLUSION: The bias correction method reduces decision errors for some paired screening trials. In order to determine if bias correction is needed for a specific screening trial, we recommend the investigator conduct a simulation study using our software.

Breast cancer risk assessment in 64,659 women at a single high-volume mammography clinic.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: In 2007, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommended that women at elevated risk of breast cancer be screened with breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to mammography. This study estimates the proportion of women presenting for screening mammography who are at elevated lifetime risk of breast cancer as determined by the Gail model. This study provides preliminary information for a proposed follow-up study, including the proportion of women who completed the recommended MRI at the same clinic that had conducted the risk assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is an observational prospective cohort of 64,659 women presenting for mammographic screening at a single high-volume clinic. If a woman reported a first-degree maternal relative with breast cancer and had at least 20% lifetime risk on the Gail model, the radiologist's report included a recommendation that the primary care physician refer the woman for breast MRI screening. Records were examined to determine if women completed the recommended MRI at the clinic within one year of the initial risk assessment. RESULTS: Of 64,659 women, 1,246 (1.9%) had a lifetime risk of breast cancer of 20% or greater, and 436 (0.7 %) had a lifetime risk of breast cancer 25% or greater. Of the women at elevated risk, 173 (13.9%) completed the recommended breast MRI screening at the clinic within a year. CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of matching screening intensity to risk on cancer detection, biopsy rate, and cost should be evaluated by studying multiple clinics and multiple risk assessment tools.