Table 5 Summary of diet records and their characteristics
Authors/Study | Population | Purpose | Time period | Mode | Structure | Portion estimation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bondia-Pons et al. [35] | Adults Age range not reported | Examine association of olive oil consumption with lipid profile and blood pressure | 3 consecutive days | Self-administered | No details | No details |
Parfitt et al. [48] | Adults/students 18–32 years | Examine dietary intake and anti-oxidant status | 5 days or 7 days | Self-administered | No details | Yes Estimated and weighed. All portions eaten and component ingredients where relevant, were weighed on household scales For meals eaten out, portions were quantified in household measures, in some cases using the standard reference work Food Portion Sizes’17′ to help estimate portion sizes |
Adults 18–64 years | Determine estimates of intake of dietary fibre and non-starch polysaccharide Establish a database of habitual food and drink consumption | 7 days | Self-administered | Participant reported the types and amounts of all foods, beverages and nutritional supplements consumed over the 7-day period, and also the time and location of each eating occasion’, the method of cooking and brand name (where appropriate), leftovers, recipe details They also included their perceived definition of the ‘eating occasion’ either a meal or a snack Detailed instructions were given on the recording of recipes and food/drink eaten out | Yes Estimated and weighed. Respondents were asked to describe food quantities that they had eaten using an album of food photographs Fieldworkers obtained the weights of certain foods in the respondents’ homes using portable food scales For some foods, the amounts eaten were obtained from weights printed on food packaging. Manufacturers’ information was then added to an Extended Menu Search (EMS®) facility on the nutritional analysis program (WISP®, Tinuviel Software, Warrington, UK), which interfaced with the food diary data entry system (WISP-DES®, Tinuviel Software, Warrington, UK) | |
Adults/Elderly 70–75 years | Examine cross-cultural differences in nutrition and life-style factors Examine cross-cultural variations and changes in intake over time | 3 consecutive days | Self-administered (3 day record) followed by face-to-face interview | 1. Estimated diet record, structured by 8 meal periods 2. Frequency checklist | Estimated and weighed. Portion sizes recorded in household measures and checked by weighing Beverages portion size estimated using glasses or cups | |
Van Oostrom et al. [55] | Adults 20–55 years | Examine relationship of dietary habits and lipid profile | 3 non-consecutive days | Self-administered | No details | Estimated The participants estimated their intake in a quantitative manner through instructions given by an allocated dietician and aided by a standardised portion size table |
WHO-MONICA EC/MONICA Project optional nutrition study [33, 56] | Adults/Men 45–64 years | Dietary determinants of cardiovascular disease | 3 consecutive days (Belgium, France, NI, Finland, Italy) 7 consecutive days (Germany, Denmark, UK) 3 consecutive 24-HDRs (Spain) | Self-administered Interview admin. or telephone administered for Barcelona. | Generally week and weekend days representative for the whole week were included Data collection carried out in several seasons. Participants recorded the preparation method, type of food or brand name, and recipes | Estimated In the Winkler et al. [76] study all records used weighing and household measures to determine portion size, with the exception of Belfast 3-day record which used precise weighing According to the report on the assessment methodology [33], three main approaches were used: Picture book and food models (France (Spain, Italy, Germany) Household measures (Germany, France, Spain, Finland, UK, Italy, Denmark) Standard units (Germany, France, Finland, Spain, UK, Italy, Denmark) |
ZENITH [57] | Adults/Elderly 55–87 years | Describe intake and status of vitamin A, vitamin E and folate in the middle-aged and old-aged population | 4-day (recall method) | Self-administered | Included 2 weekdays and weekend days. Participants recorded all foods and drinks consumed, describing the foods and portion sizes in as much detail as possible | Estimated Portion sizes related on standard portion sizes using visual book reference standard of foods (SU.VI.MAX, 1994; DietoMetro, 1999) |