What are preschool children eating? A review of dietary assessment

Accurate assessment of dietary intake among preschool-aged children is impo rtant for clinical care and research, for nutrition monitoring and evaluati ng nutrition interventions, and for epidemdologic research. We identified 2 5 studies published between January 1976 and August 2000 that evaluated the validity of food recalls (n = 12). food frequency questionnaires (n = 9), food records (n = 2), or other methods (n = 2). We identified four studies that evaluated the reproducibility of food frequency questionnaires. Validi ty studies varied in validation standard and study design, making compariso ns between studies difficult. In general, food frequency questionnaires ove restimated total energy intake and were better at ranking, than quantifying , nutrient intake. Compared with the validation standard, food recalls both overestimated and underestimated energy intake. When choosing a method to estimate diet, both purpose of the assessment and practicality of the metho d must be considered, in addition to the validity and reproducibility repor ted in the scientific literature.