ARS | Publication request: ENERGY UNDERREPORTING AMONG RURAL LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA ADULTS

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 6, 2001
Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Technical Abstract: The primary goal of this study was to compare self-reported energy intake (EI) with calculated energy expenditure (EE) to determine whether underreporting occurred using 24-hour dietary recalls collected for the Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative FOODS Validation Study. Trained interviewers collected the recalls either by telephone or in-person using the multiple-pass method. Predicted EE was calculated using self-reported height and weight, the Harris-Benedict and WHO formulas and was multiplied by 1.43 to determine calories needed in a day for a sedentary lifestyle and to maintain weight. Participants included 147 adults aged 19 to 96 who were residents of Madison Parish, LA; Chicot County, AR; and Yazoo County, MS living in telephone and non-telephone households. Only adult non-dieters who reported usual intake were included in the analysis. Differences in mean reported EI and predicted EE less than zero were indicative of underreporting. Mean differences in reported EI and predicated EE were determined for males and females, African Americans and Caucasians, and individuals whose BMI was less than 25 and 25 or greater. Individuals underreported EI by approximately 16%. Males and females both underreported intake but females underreported a greater degree than males. Caucasians tended to underreport EI more than African Americans. Individuals with a BMI of 25 or greater underreported EI by 22% and 23% for the Harris-Benedict and WHO equations, respectively, while reported EI did not differ from predicted EE in individuals with a BMI<25. Underreporting was common in this rural, largely African American population and should be considered when evaluating dietary intake.