ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 529 A Description of the Three Major Dietary Assessment Methods ........................................................................................... 530
Food Records and Dietary Recalls (Records/Recalls) ....................................................................................................... 530 Advantages and Disadvantages of Records/Recalls ...................................................................................................... 531
Food Frequency Questionnaires ......................................................................................................................................... 531 Assessing the Reliability and Validity of FFQs ............................................................................................................. 532 Advantages and Disadvantages of FFQs ....................................................................................................................... 533
Brief Dietary Assessment Instruments ............................................................................................................................... 534 Ecologic-Level Measures .............................................................................................................................................. 534 Targeted Instruments ..................................................................................................................................................... 534 Food Checklists ............................................................................................................................................................. 534 Behavioral Instruments .................................................................................................................................................. 534 Advantages and Disadvantage of Brief Assessment Instruments .................................................................................. 535
Use of Dietary Assessment Methods in Individuals vs. Groups ............................................................................................. 535 Determination of an Individual’s Dietary Adequacy for Purposes of Counseling ............................................................. 535
Records/Recalls ............................................................................................................................................................. 535 Food Frequency Questionnaires .................................................................................................................................... 535 Brief Assessment Instruments ....................................................................................................................................... 536
Research Studies of Dietary Intake and Disease Risk ....................................................................................................... 536 Records/Recalls ............................................................................................................................................................. 536 Food Frequency Questionnaires .................................................................................................................................... 536 Brief Assessment Instruments ....................................................................................................................................... 536
Nutrition Monitoring of Populations .................................................................................................................................. 538 Records/Recalls ............................................................................................................................................................. 538 Food Frequency Questionnaires .................................................................................................................................... 539 Brief Assessment Instruments ....................................................................................................................................... 539
Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 540 References ............................................................................................................................................................................... 540
Dietary intake is an important, modifi able determinant of health and longevity. Comprehensive reviews of the literature have consistently concluded that there are clear causal links between food intake and major causes of morbidity and mortality, such as coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.1-3 In addition, undernutrition contributes to substantial health problems, particularly in resource-poor countries.4
