(P19-057-23) Count Every Bite to Make “Every Bite Count”: Measurement Gaps and Future Directions for Assessing Diet From Birth to 24 Months

Objectives: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (DGA) included comprehensive dietary recommendations for birth to 24 months of age (B-24). To study ways to measure alignment with the new DGA recommendations, a new dietary assessment work group was formed through the National Collaborative for Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR). The purpose of this presentation is to highlight recent NCCOR B-24 work1 and spur innovative research on measurement tools/methods to generate data to inform future iterations of the B-24 dietary guidelines.

Methods: NCCOR is a partnership of the four leading funders of childhood obesity research: CDC, NIH, RWJF, and USDA. In 2021, members formed the B-24 Diet Assessment Work Group. Using one key recommendation from the DGA as a case study, the work group identified sample research questions which were mapped to existing measurement tools and methods, and measurement gaps were recorded. Feedback was solicited from three academic researchers.

Results: Research gaps specific to B-24 dietary assessment methods were identified and summarized as: measurement error; proxy reporting; biased reporting; usual intake estimations; human milk composition; lack of biomarkers; device limitations; data processing developments; and the complexity of multidimensional and dynamic dietary patterns. Five research opportunities identified were: include and prioritize a diverse B-24 population in research relevant to the DGA; develop a research agenda to prioritize and rank B-24 questions and research topics; collate a library of B-24 dietary assessment resources; forge diverse and interdisciplinary research collaborations; and recognize that everyone can help.

Conclusions: Nine measurement gaps and five research opportunities were identified to advance B-24 dietary assessment methods. The overlap in measurement gaps across several layers of multidimensionality (who, what, when, where, why, how) highlights an opportunity for innovative solutions in one area (e.g. who) to be transferable to other contexts (e.g. where). With widespread collaboration, it is possible to not only make every bite count but also to count every bite in B-24 dietary data.

1Count Every Bite to Make “Every Bite Count”: Measurement Gaps and Future Directions for Assessing Diet from Birth to 24 Months. JAND, under review.

Funding Sources: N/A