Adiposity, education and weight loss effort are independently associated with energy reporting quality in the Ontario Food Survey

Association between diet and physical activity and sedentary behaviours in 9-10-year-old British White children

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between diet and physical activity and sedentary behaviours in 9-10-year-old children.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional study using data from the SPEEDY (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young People) study undertaken in Norfolk, UK.

METHODS

Data from 4-day food diaries and 7 days of accelerometery were matched on concurrent days. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), time spent in sedentary behaviour and various measures of dietary intake were collected. Covariates included age, sex, weight status, family socio-economic status, and energy intake reporting quality. Multivariable regression models, adjusted for clustering of children by school and stratified by sex, were fitted to examine the associations between dietary measures and physical activity and sedentary outcomes.

RESULTS

In total, 1317 children (584 boys and 733 girls) provided concurrent data. Boys in the highest quartile of energy percentage from protein spent approximately 6 min [95% confidence interval (CI) 0-12] less in MVPA compared with boys in the lowest quartile. Those in the highest quartiles of fruit and vegetable intake and fruit juice intake had respective average activity counts per minute that were 56 above (95% CI 8-105) and 48 below (95% CI 2-95) those in the lowest quartiles, whilst those in the highest quartile of fizzy drink consumption spent approximately 7 min (95% CI 2-13) more in MVPA and approximately 14 min (95% CI 5-24 min) less in sedentary behaviour. Boys in the highest quartile of savoury snack consumption spent approximately 8 min (95% CI 2-13 min) more in MVPA per day, and approximately 12 min (95% CI 2-23) less in sedentary behaviour. No significant associations were apparent among girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Few associations were detected, and the directions of those that were apparent were mainly counterintuitive. The extent to which this reflects a true lack of association or is associated with the measurement methods used for diet and physical activity needs further investigation.

Use of accelerometer data in prediction equations for capturing implausible dietary intakes in adolescents

BACKGROUND

Reporting errors have been quantified in epidemiologic studies by comparing reported intakes with predicted energy requirements (pERs). Several studies lacking measures of physical activity level (PAL) assigned low-active levels to obtain pERs.

OBJECTIVE

We applied objective physical activity measures to current methods to quantify dietary reporting errors and compared associations with anthropometric and dietary variables among plausible and implausible reporters.

DESIGN

This study included 2868 adolescents with an average age of 13 y. Three-day dietary records, accelerometers, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were used to assess diet, activity, and body composition, respectively. Three variations of physical activity coefficients were used: 1) assigning low physical activity coefficients (PA(low)), 2) calculating PAL values (PA(PAL)), and 3) applying minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA(MVPA)).

RESULTS

Of the total participants, 51.5%, 51.8%, and 37.1% of the PA(low), PA(PAL), and PA(MVPA) groups, respectively, were classified as underreporters, and 40.8%, 37.9%, and 42.4% of the respective groups were classified as plausible reporters. Underreporters had a higher body mass index, body fat, and waist circumference than did plausible reporters (P < 0.001 for all). Overreporters had a lower weight and body fat than did plausible reporters (P < 0.001 for all). Underreporters reported lower dairy and calcium intakes than did plausible reporters; the results were attenuated with adjustment for total energy.

CONCLUSION

Accounting for objective physical activity measures to quantify reporting errors resulted in different and potentially more reasonable proportions of implausible reporters.

The US Department of Agriculture Automated Multiple-Pass Method reduces bias in the collection of energy intakes

BACKGROUND

The US Department of Agriculture Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM) is used for collecting 24-h dietary recalls in What We Eat In America, the dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Because the data have important program and policy applications, it is essential that the validity of the method be tested.

OBJECTIVE

The accuracy of the AMPM was evaluated by comparing reported energy intake (EI) with total energy expenditure (TEE) by using the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique.

DESIGN

The 524 volunteers, aged 30-69 y, included an equal number of men and women recruited from the Washington, DC, area. Each subject was dosed with DLW on the first day of the 2-wk study period; three 24-h recalls were collected during the 2-wk period by using the AMPM. The first recall was conducted in person, and subsequent recalls were over the telephone.

RESULTS

Overall, the subjects underreported EI by 11% compared with TEE. Normal-weight subjects [body mass index (in kg/m(2)) < 25] underreported EI by <3%. By using a linear mixed model, 95% CIs were determined for the ratio of EI to TEE. Approximately 78% of men and 74% of women were classified as acceptable energy reporters (within 95% CI of EI:TEE). Both the percentage by which energy was underreported and the percentage of subjects classified as low energy reporters (<95% CI of EI:TEE) were highest for subjects classified as obese (body mass index > 30).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the AMPM accurately reported EIs in normal-weight subjects, research is warranted to enhance its accuracy in overweight and obese persons.

Food insecurity is associated with nutrient inadequacies among Canadian adults and adolescents

Household food insecurity constrains food selection, but whether the dietary compromises associated with this problem heighten the risk of nutrient inadequacies is unclear. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between household food security status and adults' and children's dietary intakes and to estimate the prevalence of nutrient inadequacies among adults and children, differentiating by household food security status. We analyzed 24-h recall and household food security data for persons aged 1-70 y from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (cycle 2.2). The relationship between adults' and children's nutrient and food intakes and household food security status was assessed using regression analysis. Estimates of the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes by food security status and age/sex group were calculated using probability assessment methods. Poorer dietary intakes were observed among adolescents and adults in food-insecure households and many of the differences by food security status persisted after accounting for potential confounders in multivariate analyses. Higher estimated prevalences of nutrient inadequacy were apparent among adolescents and adults in food-insecure households, with the differences most marked for protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Among children, few differences in dietary intakes by household food security status were apparent and there was little indication of nutrient inadequacy. This study indicates that for adults and, to some degree, adolescents, food insecurity is associated with inadequate nutrient intakes. These findings highlight the need for concerted public policy responses to ameliorate household food insecurity.