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Measurement error in dietary data: implications for the epidemiologic study of the diet-disease relationship
S Paeratakul1, B M Popkin, L Kohlmeier
1Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27516-3997, USA.
Objectives:
To examine the effect of measurement error in dietary data on the relationship between diet and body mass index (BMI). To correct for the effect of measurement error on diet-BMI association by using replicate measurements of diet. The effect of measurement error on diet--BMI relationship was simulated, and its implications are discussed.
Design:
Prospective study design.
Setting:
The first and second China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 1989 and 1991, respectively.
Subjects:
Three thousand, four hundred and seventy-nine adults age 20-45 y at the 1989 survey.
Methods:
Statistical methods were used to demonstrate the effect of measurement error in dietary data on the diet-BMI association.
Results:
By using the average of three replicate 24 h dietary recalls, the attenuation of diet-BMI association was reduced substantially. The regression coefficients of fat and energy intakes differed markedly from those computed by using only single measurement of diet.
Conclusions:
Measurement error in dietary data may significantly attenuate the diet-disease association. Where appropriate, specific emphasis may be needed to address the problem of measurement error in the study of diet-disease relationship.