Validated Food Quantification Aids for Dietary Assessment: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Nutrition science
• Dietary assessment methodology

Background:

• Accurate dietary intake measurement is crucial for health research and clinical practice.
• Existing food portion size aids often lack sufficient validation, impacting their reliability and feasibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and evaluate the characteristics and methodological quality of validation studies for food quantification aids.
• To assess the accuracy and variability of different types of food portion size aids.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of validation studies for food quantification aids was conducted.
• Searched four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE) up to March 2025.
• Included 74 articles encompassing 136 food quantification aids, assessing study details and quality.

Main Results:

• Standardized food photographs were the most common (57%) and accurate aid type.
• A wide range of percentage errors was observed, from -92% to +413%.
• Only 20% of studies met high appropriateness criteria; usability was generally rated positively.

Conclusions:

• Significant variation exists in the validation methods and accuracy of food portion size aids.
• Standardized guidelines are needed for validating food quantification aids to improve dietary assessment accuracy.