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Title: COMPARATIVE VALIDATION OF A BILINGUAL INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA DIETARY ASSESSMENT TOOL

Author
item ZOELLNER, JAMIE - UNIV. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPP
item ANDERSON, JENNIFER - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSTIY
item GOULD, SUSAN - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSTIY

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2004
Publication Date: 8/1/2005
Citation: Zoellner, J., Anderson, J., Gould, S.M. 2005. Comparative validation of a bilingual interactive multimedia dietary assessment tool. Journal of The American Dietetic Association. 105:1206-1214.

Interpretive Summary: Technology advances have been applied to nutrition education and tested many times, the application of technology advances in dietary assessment has not well tested. This study addressed the question if an interactive multi-media computer program would accurately assess dietary intake in English and Spanish. The use of two different methods of dietary assessment, one being the multi-media tool, demonstrated little difference in the dietary information. Thus, the conclusion is that the interactive multi-media computerized dietary recall is a valid method for a bilingual group. In addition, participants responded very positively to this method. Nutrition educators see great potential in using this approach to dietary assessment for evaluating the value of nutrition education programs and future nutrition interventions aimed at changing dietary behaviors.

Technical Abstract: Objective: To perform comparative validity testing for a bilingual interactive multimedia (IMM) dietary assessment tool that mimics a dietary recall against an interview-administered dietary recall. Design: This was a two-period crossover design study. First, participants were randomly assigned to complete an IMM recall or interview-administered 24-hour recall. The IMM recall generated a nutrient profile that included 20 dietary constituents. The interview-administered recall was analyzed using the Food Intake Analysis System (FIAS) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Evaluating/Reporting System. The effect of substituting standardized portion sizes for reported portion sizes was examined. Subjects/setting: Of 80 adult participants, 71 (91%) were female, 45 (56%) had 12th grade or less education, 65 (81%) had an annual income of $15,000 or less, and 21 (26%) completed the IMM recall in Spanish. Statistical analyses performed: Analysis of variance and unadjusted and energy-adjusted correlations were used. Results: No significant group differences were found for order of administration or demographic characteristics. There was only one significant (P=.025) method effect, whereby vitamin C intake was higher in the IMM recall than the FW. The unadjusted correlations between the IMM recalls and interview-administered recalls analyzed using both FIAS and EFNEP Evaluating/Reporting System were generally approximately 0.6. Energy-adjusted correlations were consistently lower. Substituting standardized portion sizes resulted in significant differences for six nutrients and caused all correlations to decrease. Conclusions: The IMM dietary recall is a valid method for assessing dietary intake within the tested group. The results of comparative validity testing and positive reactions received from participants and nutrition educators indicate that diet assessment using IMM has tremendous potential.