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Reliability of a frequency method for assessing vegetable intake using photos among college students: a smart phone
Heena Suthar1, Krisha Thiagarajah2, Ibraheem Karaye1
1Department of Population Health, School of Health Professions and Human Services, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA.
Objective:
To measure the interrater reliability of assessing the frequency of vegetable intake using mobile photos and descriptions.
Design:
Repeated measures design.
Setting:
A Midwestern university.
Participants:
Undergraduate students (N = 165).
Measurable Outcome/Analysis:
Number of times each of these vegetable subgroups were consumed daily: dark green vegetables, beans and peas, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. Analysis: Two raters independently coded meals using mobile photos and descriptions of meals. Cohen κ was calculated to determine interrater reliability.
Results:
A value of κ = 0.9 (p < .001) was obtained, indicating an almost perfect agreement between the two raters. Nearly 92% of participants complied with providing photos along with descriptions of their meals.
Conclusions And Implications:
A frequency method using mobile photos and descriptions of meals is a reliable strategy to assess vegetable consumption. This frequency method can improve data quality, reduce participant burden, and minimize recall bias in college nutrition programs.
