Food Reporting Patterns in the USDA Automated Multiple-Pass Method

Complete and accurate 24-hour dietary recalls are essential for nutrition monitoring in the United States. The USDA Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM) uses a five-step multiple-pass approach to collect dietary data. The first step is an unstructured, uninterrupted listing of all foods and beverages consumed. The next 3 steps use a structured approach to data collection including memory cues. The Final Probe step is an unstructured question for any other foods recalled and includes several additional memory cues. The objective of this analysis is to describe patterns of food reporting in the AMPM in a nationally representative sample. This analysis uses data from the 2007-2008 What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for males and females ages 12 and older. The step in the AMPM interview where a food is first recalled and reported is determined and assigned a value. These values are summed to create an AMPM reporting score which reflects the use of the five steps in AMPM in the 24- hour dietary intake recall. There are signficant differences in the AMPM reporting score by day of interview, gender, age and race/ethnicity. The patterns described in this analysis demonstrate the importance of the multiple-pass method in obtaining complete 24-hour dietary recalls.