Systematic Review of Reflection Spectroscopy-Based Skin Carotenoid Assessment in Children

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Assessing children's fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) is crucial for monitoring dietary habits and public health.
• Non-invasive methods like reflection spectroscopy (RS) for measuring skin carotenoid score (SCS) offer a practical alternative to traditional dietary assessments.
• Understanding the correlates and validity of RS-based SCS in children is essential for its reliable application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the distribution of SCS across demographic groups in children.
• To identify non-dietary factors associated with RS-based SCS.
• To evaluate the validity and reliability of RS-based SCS for assessing FVC in children and to perform meta-analyses.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across eight databases for studies published in English up to June 2021.
• Included studies focused on children aged 2-10 years, utilizing reflection spectroscopy (RS) to assess skin carotenoid score (SCS).
• Meta-analyses were performed on data from 11 studies (3 intervention, 8 observational) involving 726 children to correlate RS-based SCS with FVC.

Main Results:

• The review identified potential covariates for RS-based SCS, including weight status, ethnicity, season, age, sex, and income.
• Criterion validity of RS-based SCS was reported against children's FVC, but not against plasma carotenoids.
• No studies reported on the reliability of RS-based SCS in children. The meta-analysis revealed a significant correlation (r = 0.2, p < 0.0001) between RS-based SCS and FVC.

Conclusions:

• RS-based SCS is a valid method for estimating children's FVC, offering potential for nutrition policy and intervention evaluation.
• Standardized protocols for RS use in children are needed.
• Further research should establish the precise translation of RS-based SCS to daily FVC intake in pediatric populations.