'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake

Summary

The 'Boden Food Plate' is an electronic food diary designed to be an interactive and fun method to collect dietary intake using visual depictions. The purpose of this study was to validate the web-based application against a traditional three-day estimated food diary method.

Abstract

Different methods can be used in research to assess dietary intake, many of which are still paper-based. Written estimated food diaries are often utilized in clinical trials, despite being a burden for both study participants and researchers. This method requires participant literacy, it is time consuming, labor intensive, and can easily lead to under-reporting. With advancements in technology, there is a growing interest in electronic diaries that automate the dietary assessment process. These are focused on improving accuracy, reducing both time and cost and providing users with a visual and more enjoyable experience. The methodology presented here aimed to validate the 'Boden Food Plate', a novel web-based platform for self-recording of food and drink items, compared to a traditional estimated food diary. The application was also rated on a satisfaction scale by study participants using a paper-based questionnaire. Sixty-seven participants completed the dietary measures on both the three-day electronic and paper food diaries. For the analysis, only dietary data completed at both study time points (baseline and week six) was utilized. Despite small mean differences between dietary data collection methods, Bland Altman analysis showed fairly wide 95% limits of agreement between the electronic platform and the written estimated food diary and there were few cases which did not fall within the 95% confidence intervals. Overall, participants found the electronic food diary to be more fun than the paper method and as easy to use as hard copy diaries. The new platform has potential as a self-recording tool for the collection of dietary data, particularly when utilized in clinical trial settings. However, further validation studies are needed to improve the validity of this novel electronic dietary data collection tool.

Introduction

The ability to accurately collect dietary data and assess diet is an essential component of nutrition and weight management research. Many methods to assess dietary intake, both retrospective and prospective, have already been established. However, these commonly used tools come with their own limitations. Hereby, there is a need for a new technological platform that can improve the accuracy of the data and reduce the burden for both researchers and participants^1,2,3.

Twenty-four hour recalls (24 h recalls) and Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) ....

Protocol

NOTE: All experimental procedures described below were approved by the Sydney Local Health District (Royal Prince Alfred Zone) Ethics Review Committee.

1. Participant Recruitment

1. Recruit participants from the institution databases and by advertising the study on the institution website and local newspapers.
   NOTE: Criteria that was applied for this particular study are male and female, aged 25–55 years, pre-menopausal, with a BMI ≥25 to ≤35 kg/m².
2. Ensure that potential participants are computer literate.

2. Preparing Participants for Dietary Data Colle....

Results

Out of the 76 participants recruited, only 67 self-recorded their food intake for three days on both the electronic and paper-based food diary at both time periods (baseline and week six). Only the dietary data from these 67 subjects was utilized for the nutritional analysis. The 9 participants excluded from this study did not complete food intake records from the required time points.

Table 1 shows no significa.......

Discussion

The web-based food diary utilized for this study, the 'Boden Food Plate', is a newly developed method for the collection of dietary information, designed to provide research groups with faster access to data. The results demonstrate that the energy and macronutrient intake data collected on the electronic method were accurate when compared to the dietary data recorded on the written estimated food diary, which is considered the gold standard for this study. The visual electronic tool has also proven to be easier .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Boden Food Plate	Boden Food Plate		Electronic dietary data collection tool.
Paper Food Diary	Any		Written dietary data collection tool.
Food Works 7 Professional	Xyris Software 2012		Software for the analysis of dietary intakes.
SPSS 19.0	SPSS		Statistical software.
Computer	Any		This should be used by the study participants to complete the electronic food diary from outside the research facility.