Self-administered structured food record for measuring individual energy and nutrient intake in large cohorts: Design and validation / Registro alimentario estructurado y autoadministrado para estimar la ingesta individual de energía y nutrientes en grandes cohortes: diseño y validación

Introduction: Several instruments developed to assess dietary intake of groups or populations have strengths and weaknesses that affect their specific application. No self-administered, closed-ended dietary survey was previously used in Argentina to assess current food and nutrient intake on a daily basis. Objective: To design and validate a self-administered, structured food record (NutriQuid, NQ) representative of the adult Argentine population's food consumption pattern to measure individual energy and nutrient intake. Materials and methods: Records were loaded onto a database using software that checks a regional nutrition information system (SARA program), automatically quantifying energy and nutrient intake. NQ validation included two phases: (1) NQ construct validity comparing records kept simultaneously by healthy volunteers (45-75 years) and a nutritionist who provided meals (reference), and (2) verification of whether NQ reflected target population consumption (calories and nutrients), week consumption differences, respondent acceptability, and ease of data entry/analysis. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, intraclass correlation coefficient, nonparametric regression, and cross-classification into quintiles. Results: The first validation (study group vs. reference) showed an underestimation (10%) of carbohydrate, fat, and energy intake. Second validation: 109 volunteers (91% response) completed the NQ for seven consecutive days. Record completion took about 9min/day, and data entry 3-6min. Mean calorie intake was 2240±119kcal/day (42% carbohydrates, 17% protein, and 41% fat). Intake significantly increased in the weekend. Conclusion: NQ is a simple and efficient tool to assess dietary intake in large samples

Introducción: Diferentes instrumentos para evaluar la ingesta alimentaria grupal o poblacional tienen fortalezas y debilidades que afectan a su aplicación. No existe experiencia nacional con un registro dietético auto-administrado cerrado para evaluar la ingesta actual de alimentos y nutrientes diaria de alimentos. Objetivo: Diseñar y validar un registro de alimentos estructurado, auto-administrado (NutriQuid [NQ]), representativo del patrón de consumo alimentario de la población argentina adulta para medir la ingesta individual de energía y nutrientes. Materiales y métodos: Desarrollamos un software para incorporar registros en una base de datos y verificar información nutricional (programa SARA), cuantificando automáticamente la ingesta de energía y nutrientes. La validación de NQ incluyó 2 fases: 1) comparación simultánea de registros del NQ completado por voluntarios sanos (45-75 años) y de una nutricionista que preparó las comidas ofrecidas (referencia), y 2) verificación si el NQ reflejó el consumo diferencial de población objetivo (calorías y nutrientes) durante la semana, aceptabilidad por los encuestados y facilidad de ingreso/análisis de datos. Análisis estadístico: incluyó estadística descriptiva, ANOVA de medidas repetidas, coeficiente de correlación intraclase, regresión no paramétrica y clasificación cruzada en quintilos. Resultados: La primera validación (voluntarios vs. referencia): mostró una subestimación del 10% de la ingesta de carbohidratos, grasas y energía. Segunda validación: 109 voluntarios (91% de respuesta) completaron el NQ durante 7 días consecutivos. Completar los registros requirió 9min/día y la carga de datos 3-6min. La ingesta calórica promedio fue de 2.240±119kcal/día (42% carbohidratos, 17% proteína y 41% grasa) y aumentó significativamente durante el fin de semana. Conclusión: El NQ es una herramienta simple y eficiente para evaluar la ingesta alimentaria en grandes grupos

Self-administered structured food record for measuring individual energy and nutrient intake in large cohorts: Design and validation.

INTRODUCTION: Several instruments developed to assess dietary intake of groups or populations have strengths and weaknesses that affect their specific application. No self-administered, closed-ended dietary survey was previously used in Argentina to assess current food and nutrient intake on a daily basis. OBJECTIVE: To design and validate a self-administered, structured food record (NutriQuid, NQ) representative of the adult Argentine population's food consumption pattern to measure individual energy and nutrient intake. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records were loaded onto a database using software that checks a regional nutrition information system (SARA program), automatically quantifying energy and nutrient intake. NQ validation included two phases: (1) NQ construct validity comparing records kept simultaneously by healthy volunteers (45-75 years) and a nutritionist who provided meals (reference), and (2) verification of whether NQ reflected target population consumption (calories and nutrients), week consumption differences, respondent acceptability, and ease of data entry/analysis. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, intraclass correlation coefficient, nonparametric regression, and cross-classification into quintiles. RESULTS: The first validation (study group vs. reference) showed an underestimation (10%) of carbohydrate, fat, and energy intake. Second validation: 109 volunteers (91% response) completed the NQ for seven consecutive days. Record completion took about 9min/day, and data entry 3-6min. Mean calorie intake was 2240±119kcal/day (42% carbohydrates, 17% protein, and 41% fat). Intake significantly increased in the weekend. CONCLUSION: NQ is a simple and efficient tool to assess dietary intake in large samples.