The relationship between interviewer–respondent race match and reporting of energy intake using food frequency questionnaires in the rural South United States

• We identify prevalence of misreporting of energy intake in an African American population.
• We examine interviewer–respondent race match influence on energy reporting accuracy.
• Energy underreporting was more predominant than overreporting.
• Interviewer–respondent race match did not influence energy reporting.

ObjectiveThe purpose of the observational study was to determine whether interviewer race influences food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) reporting accuracy in a Deep South, largely African American cohort.MethodsA secondary analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of interviewer race on energy reporting of 319 African Americans who participated in the Mississippi Communities for Healthy Living intervention in May–June 2011, a community-based and USDA-funded project. Reported energy intake was compared to total energy expenditure to identify normal (ENR), under-(EUR) and over-reporters (EOR). Multivariate logistic regression models determined the relationship between race match and energy misreporting, accounting for confounding variables (educational level, health status perception, BMI, gender, and age) identified using chi-square/correlation analyses.ResultsThe sample included 278 African Americans with 165 EURs, 26 EORs, and 87 ENRs identified. Logistic regression analyses revealed that there was no relationship between race-matched participants and EUR or EOR; controlling factors, BMI and perceived health status were significant in the model.ConclusionThis study is the first to our knowledge to examine whether race influences dietary intake reporting which may influence assessment data used for comparison with health outcomes. This may have important implications for research conducted in health disparate populations, particularly rural, Southern populations.