Evaluation of photographs supporting an FFQ developed for adolescents

• Published in: Public health nutrition Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 139 - 144
• Main Authors: Brito, Alessandra Page, Guimarães, Celso Pereira, Pereira, Rosangela Alves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Assessment and Methodology; Beef; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Child; Diseases of the digestive system; Energy Intake; Female; Food; General aspects; Genital system. Mammary gland; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Metropolitan areas; Nutritionists; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Photography; Portion Size; Questionnaires; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Size Perception; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Validity; Brazil; United States > US; Rio de Janeiro Brazil; FFQ; Dietary assessment; Food portion; Food images; Adolescent; Human; Evaluation; Diet therapy; Diet; Image; Food; Feeding
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980012004867

To evaluate the validity of food photographs used to support the reporting of food intake with an FFQ designed for adolescents from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A set of ninety-five food photographs was elaborated. The photographs' evaluation process included the acknowledgement of foods and portions in the pictures. In the identification of foods (ninety-five photographs) and typical portions (twelve photographs), the adolescents were requested to answer a structured questionnaire related to the food photographs. The identification of the portion size of amorphous foods (forty-three photographs) was performed using three different portion sizes of actual preparations. The proportions (and 95% confidence intervals) of adolescents who correctly identified foods and portion size in each photograph were estimated. A public school in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Sixty-two adolescents between 11·0 and 18·9 years old, randomly selected. At least 90% of adolescents correctly identified the food in ninety-two photographs and the food in the three remaining photographs was recognized by 80-89% of the adolescents. At least 98% of the adolescents correctly identified eleven typical or natural portions in the food photographs. For amorphous foods, at least 70% of teenagers correctly identified the portion size in the photograph of thirty-one foods; for the other photographs, the portion size was correctly recognized by 50-69% of the adolescents for eight foods and by less than 50% of adolescents for four foods. The analysed photographs are appropriate visual aids to the reporting of food consumption by adolescents.