title: Agreement between paper and pen visual analogue scales and a wristwatch-based electronic appetite rating system (PRO-Diary©), for continuous monitoring of free-living subjective appetite sensations in 7-10 year old children.
abstract: Electronic capture of free-living subjective appetite data can provide a more reliable alternative to traditional pen and paper visual analogue scales (P&P VAS), whilst reducing researcher workload. Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore the agreement between P&P VAS and a wristwatch-based electronic appetite rating system known as the PRO-Diary© technique, for monitoring free-living appetite sensations in 7-10 year old children. On one occasion, using a within-subject design, the 12 children (n=6 boys; n=6 girls) recorded their subjective appetite (hunger, prospective food consumption, and fullness), at two time points before lunch (11:30 and 12:00) and every 60 min thereafter until 21:00. The agreement between the P&P VAS and PRO-Diary© technique was explored using 95% limits of agreement and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) calculated using the Bland and Altman (1986) technique. For hunger, prospective food consumption and fullness, the 95% limits of agreement were -1±25 mm (95% CI: lower limit -8mm; upper limit +6mm), 0±21 mm (95% CI: lower limit -6mm; upper limit +6mm) and -6±24 mm (95% CI: lower limit -14 mm; upper limit +1mm), respectively. Given the advantages associated with electronic data capture (inexpensive; integrated alarm; data easily downloaded), we conclude that the PRO-Diary© technique is an equivalent method to employ when continuously monitoring free-living appetite sensations in 7-10 year old children, but should not be used interchangeably with P&P VAS.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. penny.rumbold@northumbria.ac.uk
authors.forename: P L S
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Rumbold
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dodd-Reynolds
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D001066:Appetite / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004435:Eating; D004581:Electronics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012527:Satiation; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Children; PRO-Diary; Pen and paper visual analogue scales; Subjective appetite