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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315002
Title: Validation of internet-based self-reported anthropometric, demographic data and participant identity in the Food4Me study

Author
item CELIS-MORALES, CARLOS - Newcastle University
item LIVINGSTONE, KATHERINE - Newcastle University
item WOOLHEAD, CLARA - University College Dublin
item FORSTER, HANNAH - University College Dublin
item O'DONOVAN, CLARE - University College Dublin
item MACREADY, ANNA - University Of Reading
item FALLAIZE, ROSALIND - University Of Reading
item MARSAUX, CYRIL - Harokopio University Of Athens
item TSIRIGOTI, LYDIA - Harokopio University Of Athens
item EFSTATHOPOULOU, EIRINI - Harokopio University Of Athens
item MOSCHONIS, GEORGE - Harokopio University Of Athens
item NAVAS-CARRETERO, SANTIAGO - University Of Navarra
item SAN-CRISTOBAL, RODRIGO - University Of Navarra
item KOLOSSA, SILVIA - Technische Universitat Munchen
item GODLEWSKA, MAGDALENA - Instytut Zywnosci Zywienia
item SURWILLO, AGNIESZKA - Instytut Zywnosci Zywienia
item DREVON, CHRISTIAN - University Of Oslo
item GJELSTAD, INGRID - University Of Oslo
item KARLSEN, ANETTE - University Of Oslo
item BOUWMAN, JILDAU - Tno Quality Of Life
item GRIMALDI, KEITH - Eurogenetica Ltd
item Parnell, Laurence
item MANIOS, YANNIS - Harokopio University Of Athens
item TRACZYK, IWONA - Instytut Zywnosci Zywienia
item GIBNEY, EILEEN - University College Dublin
item BRRENNAN, LORRAINE - University College Dublin
item HALLMANN, JACQUELINE - Technische Universitat Munchen
item WALSH, MARIANNE - University College Dublin
item LOVEGROVE, JULIE - University Of Reading
item MARTINEZ, J ALFREDO - University Of Navarra
item DANIEL, HANNELORE - Technische Universitat Munchen
item SARIS, WIM - Maastricht University
item GIBNEY, MIKE - University College Dublin
item MATHERS, JOHN - Newcastle University

Submitted to: International Journal of Obesity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/16/2015
Publication Date: 7/7/2015
Citation: Celis-Morales, C., Livingstone, K.M., Woolhead, C., Forster, H., O'Donovan, C.B., Macready, A.L., Fallaize, R., Marsaux, C.F., Tsirigoti, L., Efstathopoulou, E., Moschonis, G., Navas-Carretero, S., San-Cristobal, R., Kolossa, S., Godlewska, M., Surwillo, A., Drevon, C.A., Gjelstad, I.F., Karlsen, A.S., Bouwman, J., Grimaldi, K., Parnell, L.D., Manios, Y., Traczyk, I., Gibney, E.R., Brrennan, L., Hallmann, J., Walsh, M.C., Lovegrove, J.A., Martinez, J., Daniel, H., Saris, W.H., Gibney, M., Mathers, J.C. 2015. Validation of internet-based self-reported anthropometric, demographic data and participant identity in the Food4Me study. International Journal of Obesity. 10:476.

Interpretive Summary: This report examines how accurately people enrolled in a nutrition study collected and reported their own data via the internet. Accurate tests were needed because the internet can invite identity fraud and reporting inaccurate measurements such as body weight and height. A selection of participants were examined in a clinical setting in order to compare the data reported via the internet with measurements taken by a clinical professional. Identity fraud, where an individual misrepresents him/herself in the online venue, was non-existent. Researchers observed very strong agreement between the self-reported and clinical data for height, body weight and body mass index. In conclusion, this report shows the utility of genetic data for the detection of identity misrepresentation in an internet-based study, and the reliability of self-reported body measurements. These results will affect how future population studies are designed.

Technical Abstract: BACKGROUND In e-health intervention studies, there are concerns about the reliability of internet-based, self-reported (SR) data and about the potential for identity fraud. This study introduced and tested a novel procedure for assessing the validity of internet-based, SR identity and validated anthropometric and demographic data via measurements performed face-to-face in a validation study (VS). METHODS 140 participants from seven European countries, participating in the Food4Me Proof of Principle (PoP) intervention study, which tested the efficacy of personalised nutrition approaches delivered via the internet, were invited to take part in the VS. Participants visited a research centre in each country within two weeks of data SR via the internet. For SR data, participants received detailed instructions on how to make each measurement. In the centres, VS data were collected using standardised protocols. Identity was checked visually and by repeat collection and analysis of buccal cell DNA for 33 genetic variants. RESULTS Validation of identity showed perfect concordance between SR and VS data (similar results were found for age and sex). We observed strong ICC between SR and VS for anthropometric data (height 0.990, weight 0.994 and BMI 0.983). However, internet-based SR weight was under-reported (' -0.70 kg [-3.6 to 2.1], p<0.0001) and, therefore, BMI was lower for SR data (' -0.29 kg.m2 [-1.5 to 1.0], p<0.0001). BMI classification was correct in 93% of cases. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate the utility of genotype information for detection of possible identity fraud in e-health studies and confirm the reliability of internet-based, SR anthropometric and demographic data collected in the Food4Me study.