Dietary Assessment for Early Childhood Dietary Intake
(ECDAS Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial aims to improve how caregivers report young children's diets using two methods: a traditional 24-hour dietary recall and a new approach called ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a real-time data collection method. Over three days, caregivers will provide specific meals and snacks to their child and report the child's intake using these methods. The goal is to determine which method most accurately captures the child's food intake. Caregivers with a child without food allergies, a smartphone, and the ability to involve another caregiver are well-suited for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study offers caregivers the chance to contribute to innovative research that could enhance dietary reporting methods for young children.
Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on dietary assessments for children, so it's unlikely that your medications would be affected.
What prior data suggests that this dietary assessment protocol is safe for children aged 2 to 5 years?
Research has shown that the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method reliably tracks dietary intake. Studies have found that using EMA to record meals is both detailed and accurate. No evidence suggests that this method causes harm or discomfort. It primarily involves taking photos before and after meals, which is safe and easy.
In this trial, researchers use the EMA method alongside a traditional 24-hour dietary recall, where caregivers report what their child ate the previous day. Both methods have been used in research without any safety concerns. Participants typically find these methods easy and comfortable, as they only involve recording and reporting information.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative ways to accurately capture what young children eat. The trial compares the traditional 24-hour dietary recall method, which relies on caregivers remembering and reporting what their child consumed, with a new approach that utilizes Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). This EMA-assisted method is unique because it involves caregivers taking photos of their child's meals and snacks over three days, which helps in providing more precise data. By comparing these two methods, researchers hope to find out if the EMA approach can improve accuracy in dietary reporting, leading to better understanding and recommendations for children's nutrition.
What evidence suggests that these dietary assessment methods are effective for evaluating early childhood dietary intake?
Research has shown that ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is an effective way to track eating habits. EMA gathers data in real-time, offering a detailed view of dietary intake. Studies have found that EMA accurately records food consumption, providing experts with a clearer understanding of dietary habits. In this trial, some participants will use the EMA-Assisted 24HR method, which combines EMA with traditional 24-hour dietary recalls. This approach may improve accuracy by capturing details that might otherwise be missed. Other participants will use the Traditional 24HR method, which relies on memory and can sometimes lead to errors. The trial aims to compare these methods to provide a more complete and precise view of children's eating patterns.678910
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for caregivers of children aged 2-5 years who can provide meals and snacks to their child, complete dietary recalls via phone, and use an online platform for food tracking. Specific eligibility criteria are not provided.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Traditional 24HR Condition
Caregivers provide study-provided foods to their child and complete a traditional 24-hour dietary recall using the USDA five-step multiple-pass method.
Washout Period
A two-week washout period between the two dietary assessment conditions.
EMA-Assisted 24HR Condition
Caregivers provide study-provided foods and use an online EMA platform to upload pre- and post-photographs of their child's eating occasions. They complete a 24HR via phone call with a trained research assistant.
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for usability and acceptability of the dietary assessment protocols.
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Ecological Momentary Assessment
- Traditional 24-hour dietary recall
Trial Overview
The study tests two methods of dietary assessment: a traditional 24-hour recall (24HR) and an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) assisted 24-HR. Caregivers will record what their child eats using these methods to compare usability, accuracy, and misreporting.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
In the EMA+24HR condition, caregivers will receive study-provided foods for one meal and two snacks for three consecutive days. Caregivers will receive information on accessing an online EMA platform, and will be asked to upload pre- and post-photographs of the foods that their child eats over the three days. Additionally, any caregiver with whom the child consumes food outside of the primary proxy reporter will be trained by the primary caregiver and will be given access to upload photographs to the EMA site. The day following consumption of study-provided food, the caregiver will complete a 24HR using the USDA 5-step multiple-pass method by a trained research assistant. The research assistant will have access to all pre- and post-photographs and will prompt the caregiver for misreporting related to the photographs uploaded (i.e., time misreporting, omissions, intrusions, description, and amount misreporting).
Caregivers will be asked to provide study-provided foods to their child and complete a traditional 24-hour dietary recall using the USDA five-step multiple-pass method.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Lead Sponsor
Citations
A Systematic Review of Ecological Momentary Assessment ...
The ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of eating behaviors represents an innovative, detailed and valid approach to capture the complexity of food intake.
Leveraging ecological momentary assessment to ...
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a method of real-time data collection that has the potential to advance the science of food parenting ...
Using Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment to ...
Recent studies have demonstrated that ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) can be a valid measure of dietary intake [Bucher Della Torre S, ...
Ecological momentary assessment of physical and eating ...
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an EMA targeting physical and eating behaviours, optimise its protocol, and provide recommendations for future ...
Ecological momentary assessment of using food to soothe ...
Using food to soothe has been associated with negative health outcomes such as rapid weight gain and greater weight status during infancy [5, 6, ...
Using Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment to ...
Recent studies have demonstrated that ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) can be a valid measure of dietary intake [24,25]. EMA is a data collection method ...
A Systematic Review of Ecological Momentary Assessment ...
The ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of eating behaviors represents an innovative, detailed and valid approach to capture the complexity of food intake.
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Eating Behavior in ...
Children will undergo a two-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol in which they record all eating episodes and their physiological, emotional, ...
Combining passive eating monitoring and ecological ...
This study is the first to use objective eating monitoring to characterize dietary lapses throughout a lifestyle modification intervention.
Ecological momentary assessment of eating and dietary ...
The objective of this review was to summarize associations between ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-measured contextual factors and eating and dietary ...
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