Assessing individual dietary intake from common-plate meals: a new tool for an enduring practice.
OBJECTIVE
The purposes of the present study were to estimate individual intake from common-plate meals among Bedouin Arabs using a modified 24 h recall questionnaire, and to evaluate reported energy intake (EI) by comparison with estimated energy requirement (EER).


METHODS
Weighed records were used to develop a method of quantifying intake from common plates. Reported EI and nutrient intakes were obtained from administration of the modified 24 h recall. The relative standard error (RSE) was used to evaluate the reliability of reported nutrient intakes. The FAO/WHO/United Nations University and Oxford equations and reported physical activity levels were used to compute ratios of reported EI to BMR and EER.


METHODS
Population centres of traditionally semi-nomadic Bedouin Arabs undergoing sedentarization/urbanization in southern Israel.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 451 adults (aged 19-82 years).


RESULTS
Mean (se) energy intake was 9648 (276) kJ/d (2306 (66) kcal/d) for men and 8230 (172) kJ/d (1967 (41) kcal/d) for women, of which carbohydrates accounted for 63-64 %. The nutrient intakes evaluated had RSE ratios of less than 25 %. EI:EER ratios ranged from 0.86 to 0.89, and from 0.87 to 0.93 among non-dieters who ate the usual amount on the recall day.


CONCLUSIONS
The modified 24 h recall produced plausible estimates of energy and nutrient intakes, comparable to those obtained with the 24 h recall in other populations. The modified questionnaire makes an important contribution to facilitating large-scale nutritional surveillance in the Bedouin population, and may serve as a model for modifying dietary instruments to quantify individual intake in other populations that practise common-plate eating.
Abu-Saad
Kathleen
K
S Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. kathline@bgu.ac.il
Shahar
Danit R
DR
Abu-Shareb
Heiger
H
Vardi
Hillel
H
Bilenko
Natalya
N
Fraser
Drora
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014507:Urbanization; D055815:Young Adult