Addressing Current Criticism Regarding the Value of Self-Report Dietary Data

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Public Health Nutrition
• Dietary Assessment Methods

Background:

• Concerns exist regarding the validity of dietary self-report data due to significant measurement error, particularly energy underreporting.
• This has led to questions about the value of findings derived from such data for public health policy and dietary guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the evidence supporting the continued use of self-report dietary intake data.
• To discuss strategies for addressing measurement error, including energy underreporting, in dietary assessment.
• To provide recommendations for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of self-report dietary data.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing evidence on self-report dietary data quality and utility.
• Analysis of the extent and impact of energy underreporting compared to other nutrients.
• Consideration of measurement error adjustment techniques and study design.

Main Results:

• Self-report dietary data contain valuable information for nutrition policy and assessing diet-disease associations.
• Energy underreporting is a known issue, but does not invalidate all findings.
• Self-reported energy intake can be used for energy adjustment of other dietary components to improve risk estimation.

Conclusions:

• Continue collecting self-report dietary intake data, acknowledging limitations and interpreting appropriately.
• Utilize self-reported energy intake for adjustment, not as a measure of true intake.
• Implement recommendations for study design, analysis, and development of new dietary assessment methods.