Evaluation of a photographic food atlas as a tool for quantifying food portion size in the United Arab Emirates

Design and validation of a photographic atlas of Peruvian foods to evaluate the food consumption of children from 6 to 12 months of age

OBJECTIVE

Design and validation a photographic atlas of Peruvian foods to evaluate the food consumption of children from 6 to 12 months of age.

METHODS

Quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. 12 food groups were established according to their nutrient content. The atlas is designed to be applied to mothers, fathers, or caregivers of children from 6 to 12 months of age. The methodology was divided into four stages: i) selection of the food list, regional recipe books from Peru were reviewed, then interviews with mothers of children in the age range were verified for the final selection of the food list; ii) preparation and weighing of food, utensils were used to establish home measurements and with the established weight the macro and micronutrients were calculated with tables of composition of Peruvian foods; iii) development of the photographic session, a professional photographer with previous experience in similar works was used; and iv) expert validation, with the participation of 5 nutritionists with experience in infant feeding.

RESULTS

The proposed atlas includes 57 foods with a total of 91 photographs. The content validity coefficient according to food category and in total obtained an assessment of 0.75 (Cohen's kappa coefficient), which gives it acceptable validity and agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

The photographic atlas of food portions for infant feeding in Peru is a practical, reliable, and culturally appropriate visual tool to help estimate the amount of food consumed by this population, which will facilitate the estimation of food intake.

Estimation of Plate and Bowl Dimensions for Food Portion Size Assessment in a Wearable Sensor System

Automatic food portion size estimation (FPSE) with minimal user burden is a challenging task. Most of the existing FPSE methods use fiducial markers and/or virtual models as dimensional references. An alternative approach is to estimate the dimensions of the eating containers prior to estimating the portion size. In this article, we propose a wearable sensor system (the automatic ingestion monitor integrated with a ranging sensor) and a related method for the estimation of dimensions of plates and bowls. The contributions of this study are: 1) the model eliminates the need for fiducial markers; 2) the camera system [automatic ingestion monitor version 2 (AIM-2)] is not restricted in terms of positioning relative to the food item; 3) our model accounts for radial lens distortion caused due to lens aberrations; 4) a ranging sensor directly gives the distance between the sensor and the eating surface; 5) the model is not restricted to circular plates; and 6) the proposed system implements a passive method that can be used for assessment of container dimensions with minimum user interaction. The error rates (mean ± std. dev) for dimension estimation were 2.01% ± 4.10% for plate widths/diameters, 2.75% ± 38.11% for bowl heights, and 4.58% ± 6.78% for bowl diameters.

Development and validation of a photographic food atlas of Middle Eastern Mediterranean diet: Toward improved understanding of traditional healthy and sustainable diets

Background

Middle Eastern Mediterranean diet (MEMD) is a traditional plant-based diet that is commonly consumed and increasingly popular, but not well studied in nutrition research. To facilitate the dietary assessment of MEMD, we developed and validated a photographic food atlas depicting a variety of foods and dishes consumed in the MEM region.

Methods

The photographic food atlas included 1,002 photos of 400 types of foods and traditional dishes photographed characterizing MEMD. Foods and dishes were prepared by a professional cook and were subsequently photographed as a series of photos depicting portion size options. In a validation study, 45 individuals aged 20-50 years were recruited to assess portion size estimation of 25 representative food-photo series for each item. The validity of portion size estimation was assessed by comparing actual and reported estimates using Pearson or Spearman correlation tests. Sizes of the differences between estimated portions and the actual served portion sizes were calculate as mean differences and standard deviations.

Results

In the validation study, there was a strong correlation (r > 0.7) between estimated portion size of actual foods for 7 food items, such as pita bread, milk, labneh, and tomatoes, a moderate correlation (< 0.5 | r | < 0.7) for 12 items, such as meat, chicken, and grapes, and weak correlation (r < 0.3) for 6 items, such as seeds. Underestimation of portion sizes was more commonly observed for food items quantified when using "grams" or "milliliters" as a unit of measurement. In contrast, when household measurements were used, the participants tended to overestimate the portion sizes of respective foods and dishes.

Conclusion

We developed and validated a photographic food atlas depicting a wide variety of foods and dishes typical for the MEMD. The application of the photographic food atlas may facilitate the accurate assessment of adherence to MEMD and support the understanding of its health and sustainability aspects. Further methodological work is warranted to extend the list of food items and to evaluate the validity of the food atlas among larger and more heterogeneous groups of participants.

Development of a Digital Photographic Food Atlas as a Portion Size Estimation Aid in Japan

This study aimed to develop a digital photographic food atlas as a portion size estimation aid. Commonly consumed foods were identified from the 5512-day weighed dietary records of 644 Japanese adults. Portion sizes were determined based on the market research and distribution of food consumption in the dietary records. Each food item was classified into one of two photo types: a series of photographs showing gradually increasing portion sizes or guide photographs representing a range of portion sizes and food varieties in one photograph. Photographs of the food were taken at an angle of 42°, along with appropriate reference objects such as chopsticks. In total, 209 food and dish items were included in the food atlas. Series of photographs were taken for 105 items that are not usually served in predetermined amounts (e.g., rice and pasta), whereas guide photographs were taken for 104 items usually served in predetermined amounts (e.g., bananas and cookies). Moreover, photographs were taken for 12 kinds of household measurement items, such as cups and glasses. The food atlas could be a valuable tool for estimating the portion size in dietary surveys. Evaluating the validity of this food atlas for portion size estimation is warranted.

Accuracy of estimates of serving size using digitally displayed food photographs among Japanese adults

We evaluated the accuracy of the estimated serving size using digital photographs in a newly developed food atlas. From 209 food items in the food atlas, we selected 14 items with various appearances for evaluation. At the study site, fifty-four participants aged 18-33 years were served fourteen foods in the amount they usually ate. After they left, each food item was weighed by a researcher. The following day, the participants estimated the quantity of each food they served based on food photographs using a web-based questionnaire. We compared the weights of the foods the participants served (true serving sizes) and those determined based on the photographs (estimated serving sizes). For ten of the fourteen food items, significant differences were observed between the estimated and true serving sizes, ranging from a 29⋅8 % underestimation (curry sauce) to a 34⋅0 % overestimation (margarine). On average, the relative difference was 8⋅8 %. Overall, 51⋅6 % of the participants were within ±25 % of the true serving size, 81⋅9 % were within ±50 % and 93⋅4 % were within ±75 %. Bland-Altman plots showed wide limits of agreement and increased variances with larger serving sizes for most food items. Overall, no association was found between estimation errors and participant characteristics. The food atlas has shown potential for assessment of portion size estimation. Further development, refinement and testing are needed to improve the usefulness of the digital food photographic atlas as a portion size estimation aid.

Development and validation of a photographic atlas of food portions for accurate quantification of dietary intakes in China

BACKGROUND

Accurate estimation of food portion sizes remains an important challenge in dietary data collection. The present study aimed to develop a food atlas with adequate visual reference to improve the accuracy of dietary surveys in China.

METHODS

A food atlas for dietary surveys in China was developed using three visual reference systems, namely, regularly placed food portions, the two-dimensional background coordinates and common objects known in daily life. The atlas was validated by estimating a meal before and after using the food atlas, and differences in weight estimation were compared using a paired t-test. In total, 50 college students participated in the study.

RESULTS

After determination of food varieties; design of the food display; purchase, processing, cooking and weighing of food; photographing food; post-image processing and data processing, a total of 799 pictures of 303 types of food and two types of tableware were produced. The mean value of food weight estimated with the atlas was closer to the actual weight, and the variation range of these values was smaller and more stable than that estimated without the atlas. The differences estimated before and after using the atlas for all foods were significant (P < 0.05). Comparing the differences in weight before using the atlas, the error ranges of food samples were reduced.

CONCLUSIONS

A food atlas has been developed for a retrospective dietary survey in China, which can be used to enable a better understanding of nutritional adequacy in the Chinese population.

Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Daily Eating Habits and Physical Activity on Anthropometric Parameters in Elementary School Children in Latvia: Pach Study

Growing incidence of obesity and related diseases in children poses new challenges and calls for a review of lifestyle habits. This study aimed to assess daily eating habits (EH) and physical activity (PA) levels and identify their association with obesity in 8-10-year-old children. Children's EH and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical intensity (MVPA) was estimated from questionnaires (N = 1788). Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were collected, and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Girls consumed more fruits and vegetables, drank more water, and ate smaller portions of carbohydrate and protein rich foods but spent less time in MVPA compared to boys (p < 0.05). Obese children skipped breakfast more often and consumed less fruits and vegetables. Children who chose to eat in front of the screen had higher WC (62.88 ± 8.70 vs 60.59 ± 7.40 cm, p < 0.001) and higher BMI, and chose smaller vegetable portions and more calorie dense snacks (p < 0.001). 15.4% of pupils covered weekly MVPA recommendations with structured PA on weekdays. Increasing MVPA was related to a smaller number of unhealthy EH (p < 0.001). In conclusion, EH and PA levels differ between sexes and obese children have unhealthier EH. Higher levels of MVPA are related to healthier food choices, while pupils having meals in front of the screen have unhealthier EH and anthropometric measures. The majority of pupils did not reach the WHO recommendations of MVPA through structured PA on weekdays. Association between factors (EH and time spent in PA) and BMI was not found in this study.