Total Sugars Misreporting in Self-Reported 24-Hour Recalls in the Study of Latinos: Nutrition and Physical Activity...

Hispanic and Latinos living in the United States bear a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases previously associated with sugars intake. However, due to measurement error (ME) in self-reported diet, these associations have been difficult to establish.

To study ME of self-reported total sugars (TSs) intake, as well as its determinates and effect on estimating diet-disease associations in Hispanics and Latinos living in the United States, we apply the 24-h urinary sucrose and fructose predictive biomarker previously confirmed in a feeding study under United States diet.

We used data from 443 males and females aged 18 to 74 y of Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American origin living across 4 United States communities who participated in the Study of Latinos: Nutrition and Physical Activity Assessment Study (SOLNAS). Participants completed 3 24-h recalls (24HR) and 1 24-h urine collection for measurement of 24-h urinary sucrose and fructose biomarker. Doubly labeled water was administered once to estimate energy intake. Measures were repeated 6 mo later in a reliability sample (n = 81). ME structure in self-reported TSs was investigated using a time-varying intake ME model adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index.

The biomarker-based TSs intake was 171.3 g/d (95% confidence interval: 158.3-185.3) compared with 96.3 g/d (95% confidence interval: 91.7-101.2) estimated by 3 24HRs. The correlation of true intake with mean TSs from 2 24HRs as a measure of usual intake over 0 to 12 mo ranged from 0.19 to 0.21. The attenuation factors for the average of 2 24HRs ranged from 0.08 to 0.16. Age and Hispanic and Latino background were significantly associated with TSs misreporting, whereas, age, Hispanic and Latino background, being male and supplement user were associated with misreporting of TSs density.

In this Hispanic and Latino population, we observed large ME in 24HR-measured TSs consumption that would lead to severe attenuation of estimated risk in future sugars-disease association studies. Applying biomarker-based ME correction approaches may alleviate bias.