ARS | Publication request: DOES ACCURACY OF REPORTING ENERGY INTAKE PREDICT ACCURACY OF ESTIMATES OF VITAMIN AND MINERAL INTAKES?

Submitted to: Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 1, 2004
Publication Date: April 1, 2004
Citation: Conway, J.M., Ingwersen, L.A., Moshfegh, A.J. 2004. Does accuracy of reporting energy intake predict accuracy of estimates of vitamin and mineral intakes? Experimental Biology. No. 2093.

Technical Abstract: Vitamin and mineral intakes for Americans are estimated from data collected in national food surveys such as the USDA/NHANES 'What We Eat in America?' and are dependent on accurate reporting of food intake. Under controlled conditions we observed actual (A) food intake and determined recalled (R) food intake by means of a telephone interview the next day using the USDA Automated Multiple Pass Method for 24 hour dietary recall. We studied 150 adults who were (mean +/- SD) 43 +/- 12 years of age with a BMI of 29+/- 6. Mixed model ANOVA with repeated measures were conducted. The mean differences between A and R intakes were significantly different from zero (p<0.0001) for energy, protein, carbohydrate, and fat and were overestimated by an average of 10%. Mean vitamin and mineral intakes were overestimated by 5-10%. The effect of accuracy of reporting of energy intake on estimating vitamin and mineral intakes from the recalled food intake was studied. Mixed model ANCOVA with repeated measures was used to test differences between A and R vitamin and mineral intakes at pre-selected accuracies of -20%, -10%, 0%, +10%, and + 20% with respect to A and R energy intake. Differences between actual and recalled intakes of vitamins A, B12, C, and E, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and phosphorous paralleled the accuracy of reporting of energy intake. These data suggest that when energy intakes are misreported on national surveys, vitamin and mineral intakes from food are misreported to a similar degree. These results underline the importance of continued research in the area of improving dietary assessment methodology and have significant implications for the estimation of vitamin and mineral intakes among the American population.