%0 Journal Article %@ 1438-8871 %I JMIR Publications %V 26 %N %P e48817 %T Dietary Intake Assessment Using a Novel, Generic Meal–Based Recall and a 24-Hour Recall: Comparison Study %A O'Hara,Cathal %A Gibney,Eileen R %+ University College Dublin Institute of Food and Health, Science Centre South, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 N2E5, Ireland, 353 17162819, eileen.gibney@ucd.ie %K meal patterns %K eating behaviors %K eating occasions %K nutrition assessment %K dietary intake assessment %K 24-hour recall %K relative validity %D 2024 %7 14.2.2024 %9 Original Paper %J J Med Internet Res %G English %X Background: Dietary intake assessment is an integral part of addressing suboptimal dietary intakes. Existing food-based methods are time-consuming and burdensome for users to report the individual foods consumed at each meal. However, ease of use is the most important feature for individuals choosing a nutrition or diet app. Intakes of whole meals can be reported in a manner that is less burdensome than reporting individual foods. No study has developed a method of dietary intake assessment where individuals report their dietary intakes as whole meals rather than individual foods. Objective: This study aims to develop a novel, meal-based method of dietary intake assessment and test its ability to estimate nutrient intakes compared with that of a web-based, 24-hour recall (24HR). Methods: Participants completed a web-based, generic meal–based recall. This involved, for each meal type (breakfast, light meal, main meal, snack, and beverage), choosing from a selection of meal images those that most represented their intakes during the previous day. Meal images were based on generic meals from a previous study that were representative of the actual meal intakes in Ireland. Participants also completed a web-based 24HR. Both methods were completed on the same day, 3 hours apart. In a crossover design, participants were randomized in terms of which method they completed first. Then, 2 weeks after the first dietary assessments, participants repeated the process in the reverse order. Estimates of mean daily nutrient intakes and the categorization of individuals according to nutrient-based guidelines (eg, low, adequate, and high) were compared between the 2 methods. P values of less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In total, 161 participants completed the study. For the 23 nutrient variables compared, the median percentage difference between the 2 methods was 7.6% (IQR 2.6%-13.2%), with P values ranging from <.001 to .97, and out of 23 variables, effect sizes for the differences were small for 19 (83%) variables, moderate for 2 (9%) variables, and large for 2 (9%) variables. Correlation coefficients were statistically significant (P<.05) for 18 (78%) of the 23 variables. Statistically significant correlations ranged from 0.16 to 0.45, with median correlation of 0.32 (IQR 0.25-0.40). When participants were classified according to nutrient-based guidelines, the proportion of individuals who were classified into the same category ranged from 52.8% (85/161) to 84.5% (136/161). Conclusions: A generic meal–based method of dietary intake assessment provides estimates of nutrient intake comparable with those provided by a web-based 24HR but with varying levels of agreement among nutrients. Further studies are required to refine and improve the generic recall across a range of nutrients. Future studies will consider user experience including the potential feasibility of incorporating image recognition of whole meals into the generic recall. %M 38354039 %R 10.2196/48817 %U https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e48817 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/48817 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38354039