Food intake reporting among adolescents using picture and text messaging with personal mobile phones (1022.1)

Abstract

Dietary assessment provides valuable information in examining adolescent health. Conventional food recording is problematic for adolescents but use of technology elicits interest. We describe in this report a food record method using personal mobile phones. Subjects were 47 females and 23 males ages 12‐18 who own mobile phones with camera. Each was given a fiducial marker (FM) with their identification number and trained on the protocol for taking before‐and‐after pictures of their meal with the FM. Subjects were randomly assigned 6 days to report within 3 months. Reminders were sent a week and the night before reporting day to prepare phones and FM. During reporting, subjects instantaneously sent pictures and text messages of foods and amounts eaten every meal to a designated email address. Research dietitians reviewed the pictures and messages the following day, resolved reported intake issues with the subject via text messaging, and collated the pictures and texts as food records. All food picture sizes were standardized relative to a specific FM length to aid in verifying amounts eaten. Records were coded later. Reviewing, collating, and recording took 30‐90 minutes/record. This novel method is suitably engaging and less burdensome to adolescents; however, researchers may not find it more time‐efficient or cost‐effective than 24‐hr diet recall by phone interview.