2.7. Child Dietary Intake Assessment
Dietary intake assessment was carried out via telephone interviews conducted by dietitians (interviewer-assisted 24-HDR) using Nutrient Data System for Research (NDSR) version 2012 from the University of Minnesota. NDSR relies on the AM/PM and multiple-pass methods and requires extensive probing. Interviewers received training and were certified on data collection methods as well as quality assurance by a senior dietitian which was highly experienced in this method. Child participants completed a total of six 24-HDR: two at baseline, two at post 1 (about 3 months after baseline) and two at post 2 (approximately 6 months post-baseline). The two interviews per period captured dietary patterns on weekdays (school days) and on weekends (non-school days). Each interview represented the complete 24 h period (from midnight to midnight) of the day preceding the day of the interview. Others have collected 24-HDR with children as young as 8 years old [In addition to obtaining detailed information on foods/beverages consumed, interviewers inquired about “activity while eating” and “eating companions” for each of the reported eating occasions. A Food Amount Booklet (FAB) was provided to facilitate portion size estimation. Parents did not participate in the interview, but whenever necessary, girls were allowed to obtain complementary information from the food preparer before completing each telephone interview. For quality assurance purposes, the parent was contacted post-interview to inquire about plausibility if the dietitian questioned the type or amount of a food reported by the child or if food or calorie consumption was suspiciously low or high.