Clare E. Collins

A systematic review of the validity of dietary assessment methods in children when compared with the method of doubly labeled water

Measuring dietary intake in children enables the assessment of nutritional adequacy of individuals and groups and can provide information about nutrients, including energy, food, and eating habits. The aim of this review was to determine which dietary assessment method(s) provide a valid and accurate estimate of energy intake by comparison with the gold standard measure, doubly labeled water (DLW). English-language articles published between 1973 and 2009 and available from common nutrition databases were retrieved. Studies were included if the subjects were children birth to age 18 years and used the DLW technique to validate reported energy intake by any other dietary assessment method. The review identified 15 cross-sectional studies, with a variety of comparative dietary assessment methods. These included a total of 664 children, with the majority having <30 participants. The majority of dietary assessment method validation studies indicated a degree of misreporting, with only eight studies identifying this to a significant level (P<0.05) compared to DLW estimated energy intake. Under-reporting by food records varied from 19% to 41% (n=5 studies) with over-reporting most often associated with 24-hour recalls (7% to 11%, n=4), diet history (9% to 14%, n=3), and food frequency questionnaires (2% to 59%, n=2). This review suggested that the 24-hour multiple pass recall conducted over at least a 3-day period that includes weekdays and weekend days and uses parents as proxy reporters is the most accurate method to estimate total energy intake in children aged 4 to 11 years, compared to total energy expenditure measured by DLW. Weighed food records provided the best estimate for younger children aged 0.5 to 4 years, whereas the diet history provided better estimates for adolescents aged≥16 years. Further research is needed in this area to substantiate findings and improve estimates of total energy expenditure in children and adolescents.

Effectiveness of web-based interventions in achieving weight loss and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis

The objectives of this systematic review are to evaluate the effectiveness of web‐based interventions on weight loss and maintenance and identify which components of web‐based interventions are associated with greater weight change and low attrition rates. A literature search from 1995 to April 2008 was conducted. Studies were eligible for inclusion if: participants were aged ≥18 years with a body mass index ≥25, at least one study arm involved a web‐based intervention with the primary aim of weight loss or maintenance, and reported weight‐related outcomes. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies aimed to achieve weight loss, and five focused on weight maintenance. Heterogeneity was evident among the studies with seven research questions examined across interventions of varying intensity. Seven studies were assessed for effectiveness based on percentage weight change, with four studies deemed effective. Although the four meta‐analyses suggest meaningful weight change, it is not possible to determine the effectiveness of web‐based interventions in achieving weight loss or maintenance due to heterogeneity of designs and thus the small number of comparable studies. Higher usage of website features may be associated with positive weight change, but we do not know what features improve this effect or reduce attrition.

Effectiveness of Lifestyle Interventions in Child Obesity: Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The effects of lifestyle interventions on cardio-metabolic outcomes in overweight children have not been reviewed systematically. The objective of the study was to examine the impact of lifestyle interventions incorporating a dietary component on both weight change and cardio-metabolic risks in overweight/obese children. METHODS: English-language articles from 1975 to 2010, available from 7 databases, were used as data sources. Two independent reviewers assessed articles against the following eligibility criteria: randomized controlled trial, participants overweight/obese and ≤18 years, comparing lifestyle interventions to no treatment/wait-list control, usual care, or written education materials. Study quality was critically appraised by 2 reviewers using established criteria; Review Manager 5.1 was used for meta-analyses. RESULTS: Of 38 eligible studies, 33 had complete data for meta-analysis on weight change; 15 reported serum lipids, fasting insulin, or blood pressure. Lifestyle interventions produced significant weight loss compared with no-treatment control conditions: BMI (−1.25kg/m2, 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.18 to −0.32) and BMI z score (−0.10, 95% CI −0.18 to −0.02). Studies comparing lifestyle interventions to usual care also resulted in significant immediate (−1.30kg/m2, 95% CI −1.58 to −1.03) and posttreatment effects (−0.92 kg/m2, 95% CI −1.31 to −0.54) on BMI up to 1 year from baseline. Lifestyle interventions led to significant improvements in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−0.30 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.45 to −0.15), triglycerides (−0.15 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.24 to −0.07), fasting insulin (−55.1 pmol/L, 95% CI −71.2 to −39.1) and blood pressure up to 1 year from baseline. No differences were found for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle interventions can lead to improvements in weight and cardio-metabolic outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length, intensity, and long-term effectiveness of lifestyle interventions.

Diet quality – what is it and does it matter?

OBJECTIVE Measures of diet quality have evolved with a number of scoring indices currently in use. They are increasingly being used to examine epidemiological associations between dietary intake and nutrition-related health outcomes. The present review aims to describe current diet quality tools and their applications, and to examine the relationship between diet quality and morbidity and mortality. DESIGN A search was conducted of MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL and ProQuest electronic databases. Inclusion criteria were: English language; published from 2004 on; conducted in adult populations; longitudinal/cohort/case-control or cross-sectional study; included a theoretically defined measure of diet quality. RESULTS A total of twenty-five indices of overall diet quality and/or variety were found, with components ranging from nutrients only to adherence to recommended food group servings, to variety within healthful food groups. The majority of studies reviewed had methodological weaknesses but demonstrated that higher dietary quality was consistently inversely related to all-cause mortality, with a protective effect of moderate magnitude. The associations were stronger for men and for all-cause and CVD mortality. CONCLUSIONS The limitations of both the indices and the studies that use them need to be considered when interpreting and comparing results. However, diet quality indices do appear to be able to quantify risk of some health outcomes, including biomarkers of disease and risk of CVD, some cancers and mortality. Further research is needed to improve the validity of these tools and to adapt them for use in clinical dietetic practice.

Primary Care Clinicians Treat Patients with Medically Unexplained Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

AbstractOBJECTIVE: There is no proven primary care treatment for patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). We hypothesized that a long-term, multidimensional intervention by primary care providers would improve MUS patients’ mental health. DESIGN: Clinical trial. SETTING: HMO in Lansing, MI. PARTICIPANTS: Patients from 18 to 65 years old with 2 consecutive years of high utilization were identified as having MUS by a reliable chart rating procedure; 206 subjects were randomized and 200 completed the study. INTERVENTION: From May 2000 to January 2003, 4 primary care clinicians deployed a 12-month intervention consisting of cognitive-behavioral, pharmacological, and other treatment modalities. A behaviorally defined patient-centered method was used by clinicians to facilitate this treatment and the provider-patient relationship. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary endpoint was an improvement from baseline to 12 months of 4 or more points on the Mental Component Summary of the SF-36. RESULTS: Two hundred patients averaged 13.6 visits for the year preceding study. The average age was 47.7 years and 79.1% were females. Using intent to treat, 48 treatment and 34 control patients improved (odds ratio [OR]=1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08 to 3.40; P=.02). The relative benefit (relative “risk” for improving) was 1.47 (CI: 1.05 to 2.07), and the number needed to treat was 6.4 (95% CI: 0.89 to 11.89). The following baseline measures predicted improvement: severe mental dysfunction (P<.001), severe body pain (P=.039), nonsevere physical dysfunction (P=.003), and at least 16 years of education (P=.022); c-statistic=0.75. CONCLUSION: The first multidimensional intervention by primary care clinicians led to clinically significant improvement in MUS patients.

Impact of Dietary and Exercise Interventions on Weight Change and Metabolic Outcomes in Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials

IMPORTANCE Diet and exercise represent the mainstays of obesity treatment. No systematic review has been conducted comparing the effect of dietary and exercise intervention in reducing metabolic risks in overweight children. OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of diet-only intervention with those of diet plus exercise or exercise only on weight loss and metabolic risk reduction in overweight children. EVIDENCE REVIEW English-language articles from 1975 to 2010 available from 7 databases were reviewed. One person searched the databases. Two independent reviewers assessed abstracts and articles against the following eligibility criteria: randomized controlled trials conducted in overweight and obese children aged 18 years or younger, comparing dietary intervention with a diet plus exercise program or an exercise-only program. Study quality was critically appraised by 2 reviewers using established criteria. The main outcome measures were body mass index, body fat percentage, lean body mass, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin. FINDINGS Fifteen studies were identified and included. Based on the small number of short-term trials currently available, both diet-only and diet plus exercise interventions resulted in weight loss and metabolic profile improvement. However, the addition of exercise to dietary intervention led to greater improvements in levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.86 mg/dL [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259]; 95% CI, 2.70 to 4.63), fasting glucose (-2.16 mg/dL [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0555]; 95% CI, -3.78 to -0.72), and fasting insulin (-2.75 μIU/mL [to convert to picomoles per liter, multiply by 6.945]; 95% CI, -4.50 to -1.00) over 6 months. The diet-only intervention caused greater reductions in levels of triglycerides (at the end of active intervention) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (at subsequent follow-up). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This review provides insights into the impact of dietary and exercise interventions on metabolic risk reduction in the pediatric population. However, further studies are required to confirm the evidence with rigorous design, appropriate sample size, longer duration of follow-up, and better strategies to improve compliance and achieve long-term sustainability.

Measuring dietary intake in children and adolescents in the context of overweight and obesity.

Dietary intake throughout childhood is a key determinant of growth and development and has an important role in both the prevention and treatment of childhood overweight and obesity. Although dietary intake assessment is fraught with challenges and limitations, reporting intake remains an important research outcome if dietary recommendations to promote healthy weight are to be refined. The aims of this paper are to review current dietary intake assessment methodologies for children, to identify their biases and provide guidance on how these can be addressed to improve reporting of dietary intakes of overweight children in the literature and to identify future research priorities. Knowledge of the methodological aspects of studies examining dietary intake a priori in the context of obesity will assist researchers in improving the quality of dietary data collected and reported and facilitate publication of both dietary intake and nutrition outcomes in the context of body weight. This will help to develop a strong evidence base against which to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition interventions for both the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity.

The prevalence of food addiction as assessed by the Yale Food Addiction Scale: a systematic review.

Obesity is a global issue and it has been suggested that an addiction to certain foods could be a factor contributing to overeating and subsequent obesity. Only one tool, the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) has been developed to specifically assess food addiction. This review aimed to determine the prevalence of food addiction diagnosis and symptom scores, as assessed by the YFAS. Published studies to July 2014 were included if they reported the YFAS diagnosis or symptom score and were published in the English language. Twenty-five studies were identified including a total of 196,211 predominantly female, overweight/obese participants (60%). Using meta-analysis, the weighted mean prevalence of YFAS food addiction diagnosis was 19.9%. Food addiction (FA) diagnosis was found to be higher in adults aged >35 years, females, and overweight/obese participants. Additionally, YFAS diagnosis and symptom score was higher in clinical samples compared to non-clinical counterparts. YFAS outcomes were related to a range of other eating behavior measures and anthropometrics. Further research is required to explore YFAS outcomes across a broader spectrum of ages, other types of eating disorders and in conjunction with weight loss interventions to confirm the efficacy of the tool to assess for the presence of FA.

Assessing dietary intake in children and adolescents: Considerations and recommendations for obesity research

Abstract Dietary intake and food habits are important contributors to the obesity epidemic. They are highly modifiable components of energy balance and are usually targeted in both obesity prevention and treatment programs. However, measurement of total diet creates challenges and can convey a large burden in terms of cost, technical expertise, impact on respondents and time. It is not surprising therefore that comprehensive reports of dietary intake in children are uncommon and, when reported, have limitations. The aim of this paper is to guide researchers and practitioners in selecting the most appropriate dietary assessment method for situations involving children and adolescents. This paper presents a summary of the issues to consider when choosing a method, a description of some of the more commonly used dietary assessment methods for young people and a series of case-studies to illustrate the range of circumstances faced when measuring dietary intake. We recommend that researchers consider the specific components of dietary intake addressed in their research and practice, and whether diet should be reported comprehensively or as targeted components. Other considerations include age, cognitive ability, weight status, physical activity level, respondent burden, and reliability and validity in the context of program goals and research questions. A checklist for selecting the appropriate dietary methodology is provided. This guide aims to facilitate the reporting of dietary intake and food habits in the context of obesity using valid and reliable measures, thus contributing to the evidence-base for nutrition policies and programs relating to obesity.

12-month outcomes and process evaluation of the SHED-IT RCT: an Internet-based weight loss program targeting men

This article reports the 12‐month follow‐up results and process evaluation of the SHED‐IT (Self‐Help, Exercise, and Diet using Information Technology) trial, an Internet‐based weight loss program exclusively for men. Sixty‐five overweight/obese male staff and students at the University of Newcastle (Callaghan, Australia) (mean (s.d.) age = 35.9 (11.1) years; BMI = 30.6 (2.8)) were randomly assigned to either (i) Internet group (n = 34) or (ii) Information only control group (n = 31). Both received one face‐to‐face information session and a program booklet. Internet group participants were instructed to use the study website for 3 months. Participants were assessed at baseline, 3‐, 6‐, and 12‐month follow‐up for weight, waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. Retention at 3‐ and 12‐months was 85% and 71%, respectively. Intention‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis using linear mixed models revealed significant and sustained weight loss of −5.3 kg (95% confidence interval (CI): −7.5, −3.0) at 12 months for the Internet group and −3.1 kg (95% CI: −5.4, −0.7) for the control group with no group difference. A significant time effect was found for all outcomes (P < 0.001). Per‐protocol analysis revealed a significant group‐by‐time interaction for weight, waist circumference, BMI, and systolic blood pressure. Internet group compliers (who self‐monitored as instructed) maintained greater weight loss at 12 months (−8.8 kg; 95% CI −11.8, −5.9) than noncompliers (−1.9 kg; 95% CI −4.8, 1.0) and controls (−3.0 kg; 95% CI −5.2, −0.9). Qualitative analysis by questionnaire and interview highlighted the acceptability and satisfaction with SHED‐IT. Low‐dose approaches to weight loss are feasible, acceptable, and can achieve clinically important weight loss in men after 1‐year follow‐up.