Dietary Assessment Methods

Diet History
 Diet History

• Diet History
• Diet history is used to assess an individual’s
usual dietary intake over an extended period of
time, such as the past month or year.
Traditionally , the diet history approach has
been associated with the method of assessing a
respondent’s usual diet developed by B. S.
Burke during the l940s
• This interview method was originally designed
to be carried out by a nutritionist trained in
interviewing techniques. More recently,
computerized versions have been developed
which provide standardized methods for data
collection and probing, and minimize potential
interviewer bias in responses.
 Introduction

• The dietary history collects retrospective information on patterns

of food use during a longer, less precisely defined time period. It
records a patient’s usual dietary intake (vs. actual food intake).

• A full dietary history is composed of three components:

• 24hour recall
• Cross check
• Three day food record
• However, depending on time and opportunity for followup, the
three day record is often skipped.
 Dietary History Components
• Initially, the dietary history had three
components
• The first component was an interview about the
usual overall eating pattern of the subject, both
at mealtimes and between meals. Such
information included detailed descriptions of
foods, their frequency of consumption, and usual
portion sizes in common household measures.
“What do you usually eat for breakfast?” is a
typical question that might have been included in
the interview.
• The second component served as a crosscheck
and consisted of a questionnaire on the
frequency of consumption of specific food items.
This part was used to verify and clarify the
information on the kinds and amounts of foods
given as the usual intake in the first component.
Questions asked related to specific foods, such
as: "Do you like or dislike milk." A 24h recall of
actual intake may also have been included at this
stage.
• In the third component, subjects recorded
their food intake at home for three days.
Portion sizes at this stage were estimated using
a variety of techniques, including standard
measuring cups and spoons, common utensils,
commercial plastic food models, photographs,
or real foods. Today, the original dietary history
method is rarely used in this three-part format,
the third component being commonly omitted.
• The time periods covered by the dietary history
method vary. The maximum time period that can
be used has not been definitely established.
When shorter time frames (i.e., one month) are
used, reproducibility and validity are apparently
higher than for longer periods. Measurements of
food intake over one-year periods are probably
unrealistic unless seasonal variations in food
intakes are taken into account.
 Strengths
• Diet history is used to describe usual food or
nutrient intakes over a relatively long time
period, which can be used to estimate
prevalence of inadequate intakes.
• Such information is used for national food
policy development, for food fortification
planning, and to identify food patterns
associated with inadequate intakes
 Limitations
• Labor-intensive: The recording of a dietary
history can be very labor intensive, with
interviews taking up to 2h per respondent.
• Time-consuming.
• Results depend on skill of interviewer.
• The absence of a standardized format limits
comparison of its usefulness across studies
 Assessment Quiz: Dietary History

• What is the primary aim of the dietary

history method?
• A) To estimate short-term food intake
• B) To assess meal patterns over a long period
• C) To determine immediate dietary
preferences
• D) To analyze seasonal variations in food
consumption
• Which of the following is NOT a component of the original
dietary history method?
• A) Interview about overall eating patterns
• B) Crosscheck questionnaire on specific food items
• C) Recording food intake for three days
• D) Analysis of nutrient content in foods
• What is the purpose of the second component of the
dietary history method?
• A) To estimate portion sizes of common household foods
• B) To verify and clarify information from the first component
• C) To record food intake at home for three days
• D) To assess seasonal variations in food intake
• What are the three components of a full dietary history?
• A) 24-hour recall, Cross Check, and Dietary Record
• B) Interview about eating patterns, Food Allergy
Questionnaire, and Food Journal
• C) 24-hour recall, Cross Check, and Three Day Food Record
• D) Food Frequency Questionnaire, Meal Timing Assessment,
and Dietary Analysis