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Title: Development and validation of objective, passive dietary assessment method for estimating food and nutrient intake in households in low and middle-income countries (LMICs): A study protocol

Author
item JOBARTEH, MODOU - Imperial College
item MCCRORY, MEGAN - Boston University
item LO, BENNY - Imperial College
item SUN, MINGUI - University Of Pittsburgh
item SAZONOV, EDWARD - University Of Alabama
item ANDERSON, ALEX - University Of Georgia
item JIA, WENYAN - University Of Pittsburgh
item STEINER-ASIEDU, MATILDA - University Of Ghana
item HIGGINS, JANINE - University Of Colorado
item BARANOWSKI, TOM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item OLUPOT-OLOUPOT, PETER - Mbale Clinical Research Institute
item FROST, GARY - Imperial College

Submitted to: Current Developments in Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2019
Publication Date: 2/7/2020
Citation: Jobarteh, M.L., McCrory, M.A., Lo, B., Sun, M., Sazonov, E., Anderson, A.K., Jia, W., Steiner-Asiedu, M., Higgins, J.A., Baranowski, T., Olupot-Oloupot, P., Frost, G. 2020. Development and validation of objective, passive dietary assessment method for estimating food and nutrient intake in households in low and middle-income countries (LMICs): A study protocol. Current Developments in Nutrition. 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa020

Interpretive Summary: While what people eat has been related to numerous health problems, measuring what people eat has been a problem. Problems in measuring dietary intake in low income countries may be especially problematic since the existing methods were all developed for high income countries. Some research has tested wearable cameras and sensors to objectively passively measure dietary intake, with substantial accuracy when assessing diet under controlled laboratory conditions, but less so when participants are free living. This paper describes a study to use wearable cameras and wearable sensors to measure dietary intake among families (adults and children) in urban and rural Ghana and Kenya.

Technical Abstract: Malnutrition is a major concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the full extent of nutritional deficiencies remains unknown largely due to lack of accurate assessment methods. This study seeks to develop and validate an objective, passive method of estimating food and nutrient intake in households in Ghana and Uganda. Household members (including under-5s and adolescents) are assigned a wearable camera device to capture images of their food intake during waking hours. Using custom software, images captured are then used to estimate an individual's food and nutrient (i.e., protein, fat, carbohydrate, energy and micronutrients) intake. Passive food image capture and assessment provides an objective measure of food and nutrient intake in real-time, minimizing some of the limitations associated with self-reported dietary intake methods. Its use in LMICs could potentially increase the understanding of population’s nutritional status, and the contribution of household food intake to the malnutrition burden.