Photo method for nutrition logging

Development and evaluation of a photographic logging instrument

Introduction

Precisely measuring what people in various age groups and population groups eat is a huge and perpetual challenge for nutritional research. The reasons for this include the complexity, diversity, and temporal heterogeneity of individual nutritional intake. Despite these many challenges, it is important to be able to document and evaluate the normal everyday intake of various population groups in an unbiased manner. Therefore, the aim of the study described here was to develop a novel, contemporary method of recording that is sufficiently accurate, is suitable for various population and age groups, and provides advantages with regard to the aforementioned problems compared to classical methods.

Background

Requirements for recording methods

When selecting a recording method, it is important to always clarify how high the expected burden on the participants can be for the target group in question, and what level of cooperation and motivation can be expected from the participants in that target group. Important factors here include age and level of education [1]. In addition, taking into account current immigration figures, the person’s place of origin/ ethnicity may affect the selection of a suitable method.

Abstract

Developing an accurate method for dietary assessment (nutrition logging method) that is suitable for everyday use is a huge challenge, especially when children and adolescents are the target group. The evaluation of the photo method, an instrument that utilizes digital photographs, shows that it is possible for children from 7 years of age to independently document their intake (type and quantity of food and beverages) using this simple method. The method is valid (rs ≥ 0.81, p ≤ 0.01) and objective (ICC ≥ 0.91, p ≤ 0.01) with regard to the evaluation of the photos by independent specialists. Furthermore, it is accurate in terms of the energy intake and micronutrient intake, which means that the deviations were below 10% compared to a weighed dietary record on the group level. The majority of subjects (the participants) were very satisfied with the instrument, which is attributable to a very low burden on the subjects due to ease of use. In light of the continuous advances in information technology, such as automatic image evaluation, in future, these results could enable quick, simple, and accurate nutrition logging in subjects with various ages, places of origin/ethnicities, and levels of education.

Keywords: dietary assessment methods, nutrition logging, photo method, children and adolescents, nutritional behavior, food photography

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