QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 139/3/522    most recent jn.108.101311v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Waling, M. U. Articles by Larsson, C. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Waling, M. U. Articles by Larsson, C. L.

---

Nutrition and Disease

Energy Intake of Swedish Overweight and Obese Children Is Underestimated Using a Diet History Interview^1,2

Department of Food and Nutrition, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden

Estimating energy intake (EI) of a child by using a diet history interview (DHI) method may be a challenge because of difficulty for the child to remember what has been eaten as well as to report portion sizes. The aim of this research was to validate reported EI from a DHI in children classified as overweight or obese by comparing the reported EI to total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by 2 objective measures. Eighty-five 10.5- ± 1.1-y-old overweight and obese children, with help from 1 or 2 parents, reported their EI 2 wk retrospectively in a DHI. Reported EI was compared with TEE, as measured by SenseWear armband (n = 85) and the doubly-labeled water (DLW) method (n = 21), during the same period as the DHI. Reported EI was underestimated by 14% when validated against both the armband and DLW method. Underestimation did not differ between boys and girls. However, the EI of obese children was underestimated by 22%, which is twice the rate as for the overweight children (95% CI: 0.55, 3.08). Underestimated EI was negatively correlated with BMI (r = –0.38; P = <0.01) as well as age (r = –0.21; P = 0.05). EI is underestimated to a higher extent among children with higher BMI and higher age when using a DHI method. The findings show the importance of validating dietary intake of children in general and in overweight and obese children in particular.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: maria.waling{at}kost.umu.se.

Manuscript received 24 October 2008. Initial review completed 15 November 2008. Revision accepted 16 December 2008.

Published online 21 January 2009.