DIET@NET: best practice guidelines for dietary assessment in health research
Version 3 2024-06-18, 06:09Version 3 2024-06-18, 06:09
Version 2 2024-05-30, 10:50Version 2 2024-05-30, 10:50
Version 1 2023-10-25, 05:32Version 1 2023-10-25, 05:32
journal contribution
posted on 2023-10-25, 05:32authored byJ E Cade, M Warthon-Medina, S Albar, N A Alwan, A Ness, M Roe, P A Wark, K Greathead, V J Burley, P Finglas, L Johnson, P Page, K Roberts, T Steer, J Hooson, D C Greenwood, S Robinson, DIET@NET consortium, L Thornton
BACKGROUND: Dietary assessment is complex, and strategies to select the most appropriate dietary assessment tool (DAT) in epidemiological research are needed. The DIETary Assessment Tool NETwork (DIET@NET) aimed to establish expert consensus on Best Practice Guidelines (BPGs) for dietary assessment using self-report. METHODS: The BPGs were developed using the Delphi technique. Two Delphi rounds were conducted. A total of 131 experts were invited, and of these 65 accepted, with 48 completing Delphi round I and 51 completing Delphi round II. In all, a total of 57 experts from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia commented on the 47 suggested guidelines. RESULTS: Forty-three guidelines were generated, grouped into the following four stages: Stage I. Define what is to be measured in terms of dietary intake (what? who? and when?); Stage II. Investigate different types of DATs; Stage III. Evaluate existing tools to select the most appropriate DAT by evaluating published validation studies; Stage IV. Think through the implementation of the chosen DAT and consider sources of potential biases. CONCLUSIONS: The Delphi technique consolidated expert views on best practice in assessing dietary intake. The BPGs provide a valuable guide for health researchers to choose the most appropriate dietary assessment method for their studies. These guidelines will be accessible through the Nutritools website, www.nutritools.org .