24 h diet recall: the automated multiple pass method

The Food Surveys research group of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed an automated multiple pass method (AMPM) for conducting 24 h recall, to ensure accuracy in the collection of dietary recall data by automating the interview with computerised questions, prompts and details about reported foods. The AMPM has the advantage that it has been used for the collection of dietary intake data for many years and undergoes an update every other year⁽¹²⁾. The AMPM has been validated against DLW in 524 American adult volunteers (30–69 years)⁽¹³⁾. The results showed an underestimation of reported EI by 11 % in the total population, and <3 % in participants with normal weight.

The AMPM contains a five-step approach beginning with a quick list where respondents report all foods consumed in the prior 24 h period. The second step includes a series of questions that probe for foods that are commonly forgotten during step one. The third step collects the time each food was eaten and the name of the eating occasion. At the fourth step, descriptions are obtained for each food reported, along with quantities consumed and where the food was obtained. All foods in the instrument belonged to one of over 100 food categories of similar foods (e.g. bread, sandwiches, pasta, milk). The AMPM prompted different detail questions about a food depending on what category it belonged to. Common details captured by the instrument included the source (e.g. homemade), preparation (e.g. cooking method, type of fat or liquid added), brand names and anything added to the food.

The fifth step is a final review question, which provides the respondent a last opportunity to recall any foods that had not been reported previously in the interview⁽¹²⁾. Six trained interviewers with a formal nutrition, public health or biology education background conducted all 24 h DR interviews (358 interviews in total).

The AMPM was versioned into Danish AMPM including Danish food lists and cooking practices. The translation process of the AMPM was managed with the Translation Management Tool developed by the Centerdata at Tilburg University in the Netherlands⁽¹⁴⁾. The amount consumed was estimated using metrics (g, ml, l), spoons, pieces, small, medium, large and USDA’s measuring guide Food Model Booklet (FMB)⁽¹⁵⁾. The FMB was also versioned into Danish Measuring Guides including images of Danish plates, bowls, cups, mugs and glasses. All participants received the FMB to take home for the 24 h DR telephone interviews.