Recent Developments in Nutrition Surveys: Self-Report-Based Assessment Tools Are Still Invaluable

Accurate measurement of diet is a prerequisite for nutrition research of all kinds, including surveillance and observational and intervention studies with regard to nutrition-related outcomes, but remains a big challenge. It is well acknowledged that no dietary assessment methods are free from measurement errors. Nevertheless, self-report dietary assessment tools are still invaluable not only because the study of nutrition cannot be isolated from the reality of food intake but also because objective biomarkers are available for only a few dietary components, without providing any insights into what people actually eat or drink or related contextual factors. Here, the author provides a brief introduction of selected novel techniquies of self-report-based dietary assessment tools: Intake24 (an online dietary recall system), FoodNow (a smartphone food diary application), and Food Combination Questionnaire and Meal-based Diet History Questionnaire designed for assessing eating behaviors and meal patterns. Despite their inherent limitations, self-report-based dietary assessment tools are still useful and indispensable for, particularly, eating behaviors and meal patterns. For each study, the most appropriate dietary assessment method should be selected based on its purpose, design, population, and resources. Continuous efforts should also be made to develop and evaluate new dietary assessment tools.