Digital photography improves estimates of dietary intake in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities

BackgroundDietary assessment of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is challenging due to the limited cognitive abilities of this population.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using of digital images to improve the estimates of energy and macronutrient intake from proxy-assisted 3-day food records in adolescents with IDD.MethodParticipants used a mobile device to take photos of all food and beverages consumed over a three-day period and simultaneously completed a standard parent-assisted 3-day food record at two separate time points. A registered dietitian reviewed and recorded the differences between the standard record and the images. The proxy-assisted records and the photo-assisted records were analyzed separately.ResultsOne hundred and thirty eating occasions were entered (20 participants (age = 14.9 ± 2.2 yrs, 45.0% female)). Photo-assisted records captured significantly higher estimates of energy intake per eating occasion than regular proxy-assisted records (P = 0.001) as well as significantly greater grams of fat (P = 0.011), carbohydrates (P = 0.003), and protein (P = 0.004).ConclusionThe use of photo-assisted diet records appears to be a feasible method to obtain substantial additional details about dietary intake that consequently may improve the overall estimates of energy and macronutrient intake when using proxy-assisted diet records in adolescents with IDD.