Prevalence and characteristics of energy underreporting in African-American girls

objective: To determine the frequency and characteristics of energy intake underreporting in African-American preadolescent girls as part of the Girls health Enrichment Multi-site Studies ( GEMS). Methods and Procedures: Energy intake was summarized using the Nutrition Data System for Research software and computed as a 3-day average of 24-h dietary recalls. Physical activity was assessed by an accelerometer, basal metabolic rate ( BMR) was estimated using the World Health Organization's prediction equation, and underreporting of caloric intake was based on the Goldberg equation. Results: Using a conservative criterion for determining energy underreporting, we classified 54.8% of the girls as underreporters; 45.2% were classified as plausible reporters. Factors related to underreporting included higher BMI ( beta = - 0.506, P = 0.001), older age ( beta = - 0.159, P = 0.001), greater unhealthy eating behaviors ( beta = - 0.118, P = 0.025), and higher self-efficacy for diet ( beta = - 0.098, P = 0.033). Discussion: Underreporting of dietary intake, specifically energy, is common in African-American preadolescent girls and can be partially explained by weight status and psychosocial variables. The extent of dietary underreporting in specific and high-risk populations is largely unknown and could be evaluated by routinely including a report of such an index in future research studies.