title: Low accuracy and low consistency of fourth-graders' school breakfast and school lunch recalls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the accuracy and consistency of fourth-graders' school breakfast and school lunch recalls obtained during 24-hour recalls and compared with observed intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children were interviewed using a multiple-pass protocol at school the morning after being observed eating school breakfast and school lunch.
  
  
  METHODS
  104 children stratified by ethnicity (African-American, white) and gender were randomly selected and interviewed up to 3 times each with 4 to 14 weeks between each interview.
  
  
  METHODS
  Match, omission, and intrusion rates to determine accuracy of reporting items; arithmetic and/or absolute differences to determine accuracy for reporting amounts; total inaccuracy to determine inaccuracy for reporting items and amounts combined; intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to determine consistency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Means were 51% for omission rate, 39% for intrusion rate, and 7.1 servings for total inaccuracy. Total inaccuracy decreased significantly from the first to the third recall (P=0.006). The ICC was 0.29 for total inaccuracy and 0.15 for omission rate. For all meal components except bread/grain and beverage, there were more omissions than intrusions. Mean arithmetic and absolute differences per serving in amount reported for matches were -0.08 and 0.24, respectively. Mean amounts per serving of omissions and intrusions were 0.86 and 0.80, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low accuracy and low consistency of children's recalls from this study raise concerns regarding the current uses of dietary recalls obtained from children. To improve the accuracy and consistency of children's dietary recalls, validation studies are needed to determine the best way(s) to interview children.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta 30912-3710, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne Domel
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: William O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Litaker
authors.forename: Francesca H A
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.forename: Caroline H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Guinn
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D002666:Psychology, Child; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors