Using memory strategies to improve 24-hour dietary recalls among older adults

Dietitians commonly use 24-hour recall to obtain estimates of the typical food intakes for a population. This study was designed to determine whether using an encoding strategy or support at the time of retrieval improves older adults' 24-hour recall of food items and amounts consumed. The study included 17 older adults ranging from 74 to 91 years of age. Lunch was served to these individuals, and 24-hour dietary recall and recognition of food items consumed at the meal were conducted the following day. Portion sizes for five food items served at the meal, as well as memory tests for recall and recognition and a visual perceptual test, were also administered. Among older adults, use of an encoding strategy did not enhance memory of food items and amounts consumed. However, when the adults were provided support with a visual recognition aid at the time of food item recall, individuals remembered more food items but not amounts consumed. Performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale I and II, Verbal Paired Associates, was found to be a predictor of subjects' performance on 24-hour recall.