Retention Interval and Prompts: Creation and Cross-Sectional Pilot-Testing of Eight Interview Protocols to Obtain 24-Hour Dietary Recalls from Fourth-Grade Children

Abstract

Background: Any 24-hour dietary recall (24hDR) has a retention interval and prompts. No research has investigated their combined effect.

Objective: Eight 24hDR protocols, constructed by crossing two retention intervals (prior-24-hour recall obtained in afternoon and previous-day recall obtained in morning) with four prompts (forward [distant-to-recent], reverse [recent-to-distant], meal-name [eg, breakfast, lunch, etc], and open [no instructions]), were pilot-tested.

Design: Via a cross-sectional design, children were interviewed once, using one of eight 24hDR protocols.

Participants/setting: Forty-eight fourth-grade children (79% black; 50% girls; six per protocol) were randomly selected from two schools during spring 2011. Protocol assignment was random. Analyses excluded one interview due to protocol deviation.

Statistical analyses performed: Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with four nonaccuracy-related response variables was conducted, with independent variables retention interval, prompt, and their interaction. The significance level was 0.10 due to the study's exploratory nature.

Results: The response variable set differed across retention intervals (P=0.0003) and prompts (P=0.045) but not their interaction (P=0.11). Follow-up analysis of variance for each of four variables showed differences by retention interval for three and prompt for two: Interview length (minutes) differed by retention interval (prior-24-hour-afternoon=21.8, previous-day-morning=16.1; P<0.0008) and prompt (open=20.3, reverse=20.0, forward=19.1, and meal-name=16.3; P=0.079). Number of school meals reported eaten during the target period did not depend on retention interval or prompt, but was greater using meal-name prompts (1.7) than the other three prompts (1.3; P=0.055; contrast t test). Number of 10 possible meal components reported eaten at school meals differed by retention interval (prior-24-hour-afternoon=4.1, previous-day-morning=2.9; P=0.048). Weighted number of items (condiment=0.33, combination entrée=2.0, and else=1.0) reported eaten at school meals differed by retention interval (prior-24-hour-afternoon=5.8, previous-day-morning=4.1; P=0.079) and prompt (forward=6.2, meal-name=5.3, reverse=4.9, and open=3.3; P=0.093).

Conclusions: Children's nonaccuracy-related responses to eight 24hDR protocols varied as hypothesized. The selected protocols will be useful in a planned validation study to investigate differences by protocol in children's recall accuracy.

Keywords: Children; Dietary recall; Interview protocol; Prompts; Retention interval.

Figure 1. Overview of multiple-pass dietary recall interview protocols for four prompts and two retention intervals (previous-day-morning; prior-24-hour-afternoon)^a created and pilot-tested in a study with fourth-grade children

^a Italicized text is used for the “today” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval; for each pass for each of these protocols, today was always covered first, and then yesterday. The interviewer would say, “Now, let’s talk about what you ate or drank after (time) yesterday afternoon” and fill in the blank with the start time of the interview. Bolded text is used for the previous-day-morning retention interval and the “yesterday” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval. Each protocol’s Introduction included, “I’ll be asking you questions about what you ate or drank in the past 24 hours/yesterday.” ^b Response options for meal name — breakfast, school breakfast, lunch, school lunch, dinner/supper, snack. ^c Response options for location — home, school, somewhere else. ^d Response options for amount consumed — none, taste, little bit, half, most, all, more than one serving.

Figure 1. Overview of multiple-pass dietary recall interview protocols for four prompts and two retention intervals (previous-day-morning; prior-24-hour-afternoon)^a created and pilot-tested in a study with fourth-grade children

^a Italicized text is used for the “today” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval; for each pass for each of these protocols, today was always covered first, and then yesterday. The interviewer would say, “Now, let’s talk about what you ate or drank after (time) yesterday afternoon” and fill in the blank with the start time of the interview. Bolded text is used for the previous-day-morning retention interval and the “yesterday” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval. Each protocol’s Introduction included, “I’ll be asking you questions about what you ate or drank in the past 24 hours/yesterday.” ^b Response options for meal name — breakfast, school breakfast, lunch, school lunch, dinner/supper, snack. ^c Response options for location — home, school, somewhere else. ^d Response options for amount consumed — none, taste, little bit, half, most, all, more than one serving.

Figure 1. Overview of multiple-pass dietary recall interview protocols for four prompts and two retention intervals (previous-day-morning; prior-24-hour-afternoon)^a created and pilot-tested in a study with fourth-grade children

^a Italicized text is used for the “today” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval; for each pass for each of these protocols, today was always covered first, and then yesterday. The interviewer would say, “Now, let’s talk about what you ate or drank after (time) yesterday afternoon” and fill in the blank with the start time of the interview. Bolded text is used for the previous-day-morning retention interval and the “yesterday” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval. Each protocol’s Introduction included, “I’ll be asking you questions about what you ate or drank in the past 24 hours/yesterday.” ^b Response options for meal name — breakfast, school breakfast, lunch, school lunch, dinner/supper, snack. ^c Response options for location — home, school, somewhere else. ^d Response options for amount consumed — none, taste, little bit, half, most, all, more than one serving.

Figure 1. Overview of multiple-pass dietary recall interview protocols for four prompts and two retention intervals (previous-day-morning; prior-24-hour-afternoon)^a created and pilot-tested in a study with fourth-grade children

^a Italicized text is used for the “today” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval; for each pass for each of these protocols, today was always covered first, and then yesterday. The interviewer would say, “Now, let’s talk about what you ate or drank after (time) yesterday afternoon” and fill in the blank with the start time of the interview. Bolded text is used for the previous-day-morning retention interval and the “yesterday” part of the prior-24-hour-afternoon retention interval. Each protocol’s Introduction included, “I’ll be asking you questions about what you ate or drank in the past 24 hours/yesterday.” ^b Response options for meal name — breakfast, school breakfast, lunch, school lunch, dinner/supper, snack. ^c Response options for location — home, school, somewhere else. ^d Response options for amount consumed — none, taste, little bit, half, most, all, more than one serving.