Evaluation of New Computerized Method for Recording 7-Day Food Intake in IDDM Patients

Objective To evaluate a new computerized method for recording 7-day food intake. Research Design and Methods Randomized crossover trial was conducted with patients recording the amount and type of every food and drink consumed during a week by either a computerized device (Food-meter) or recording the data in a diary. Each method was applied twice. Twenty-one insulin-dependent diabetic patients (mean ± SD age 25 ± 9 yr) were studied. Results The two methods showed very good agreement in the evaluation of the patients9 diets (1792 ± 408 vs. 1764 ± 436 kcal∕day, 84 ± 19 vs. 82 ± 21 g∕day protein, 68 ± 22 vs. 67 ± 23 g∕day fat, 210 ± 60 vs. 207 ± 58 g∕day carbohydrate with the conventional and computerized methods, respectively). The variability between the methods and the variability within each method were of similar magnitude. Conclusions The Food-meter represents a useful tool for computerizing the 7-day food record. The method is easy, reliable, and time saving. Moreover, it minimizes the risk of transcriptional errors.