Evaluating the effect of measurement error when using one or two 24 h
dietary recalls to assess eating out: a study in the context of the
HECTOR project
Eating out is often recorded through short-term measurements and the
large within-person variability in intakes may not be adequately
captured. The present study aimed to understand the effect of
measurement error when using eating-out data from one or two 24 h
dietary recalls (24hDR), in order to describe intakes and assess
associations between eating out and personal characteristics. In a
sample of 366 adults from Potsdam, Germany, two 24hDR and a FFQ were
collected. Out-of-home intakes were estimated based on either one 24hDR
or two 24hDR or the Multiple Source Method (MSM) combining the two 24hDR
and the questionnaire. The distribution of out-of-home intakes of
energy, macronutrients and selected foods was described. Multiple linear
regression and partial correlation coefficients were estimated to assess
associations between out-of-home energy intake and participants’
characteristics. The mean daily out-of-home intakes estimated from the
two 24hDR were similar to the usual intakes estimated through the MSM.
The out-of-home energy intake, estimated through either one or two
24hDR, was positively associated with total energy intake, inversely
with age and associations were stronger when using the two 24hDR. A
marginally significant inverse association between out-of-home energy
intake and physical activity at work was observed only on the basis of
the two 24hDR. After applying the MSM, all significant associations
remained and were more precise. Data on eating out collected through one
or two 24hDR may not adequately describe intake distributions, but
significant associations between eating out and participants’
characteristics are highly unlikely to appear when in reality these do
not exist
