7 Dietary Assessment and Nutrition Evidence Free Online FlashCards

What does a 24-hour dietary recall capture?

A trained interviewer asks about all foods and drinks consumed the previous day. One recall describes a single day, not necessarily usual intake.

Why is one day of intake weak evidence about usual intake?

People naturally eat differently from day to day, so one day is weak evidence about an individual’s usual intake.

What is the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) used to assess?

The EAR helps assess the prevalence of inadequate intake in a group when usual-intake distributions are appropriately estimated.

How do random error and systematic error differ?

Random error adds unpredictable variation; systematic error (bias) shifts estimates consistently in a direction.

Why can an observational association fail to show that diet caused an outcome?

Observational associations may reflect confounding or reverse causation. A single cross-sectional snapshot generally cannot establish which came first.

Why repeat 24-hour dietary recalls on nonconsecutive days?

Repeated recalls on nonconsecutive days better represent usual intake and capture variation across weekdays, weekends, and seasons.

What is one key limitation of a food record or diary?

A food record or diary logs foods and amounts as they are consumed, often for several days. Recording may change what a person chooses to eat, a problem called reactivity.

What is a food-frequency questionnaire useful for?

A food-frequency questionnaire asks how often listed foods were consumed over a longer period. It can rank people by longer-term patterns, but relies on memory and a preset food list.

What can a brief dietary screener not generally measure?

A brief screener can efficiently assess selected foods or nutrients, but generally does not measure the entire diet or total energy intake.

What is an important limitation of dietary biomarkers?

Biomarkers in blood, urine, or other tissues can provide objective evidence about some exposures. They are not available or equally informative for every dietary component.

Why is the RDA unsuitable as a group inadequacy cut point?

The RDA is designed to meet the needs of nearly all healthy individuals in a life-stage group. It is not a suitable cut point for estimating a group’s inadequacy.

What does intake below an Adequate Intake (AI) establish?

An AI is used when evidence is insufficient to establish an EAR and RDA. Intake below the AI alone does not establish inadequacy.