PEDIATRIC 24 HOUR DIET RECALL WEB SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): This proposal is for phase I feasibility development and testing of the pediatric 24 hour diet recall web system, a comprehensive system for dietary assessment, nutrient analysis, and generation of behavioral feedback. The complete system will: (a) use food and portion serving illustrations for 24 hour diet recall data collection; (b) generate reports on nutrient intake and food use patterns; and (c) generate "tailored" behavioral feedback. The innovations of this system include: (a) computer-aided self-interview (CASI) technology through the web that will improve the flexibility and cost of pediatric dietary assessment; (b) customizability to capture regional/ethnic food patterns, focus on specific nutrients/food components, use different languages, and different age groups; and (c) empirically-tested models of dietary behavior change, broadly and inexpensively available for children. The goals of Phase I are to: (a) determine the optimal design for the graphically-based 24 hour diet recall for obese, overweight, and diabetic children 10 to 14 years old; (b) develop the overall system specifications and architecture; (c) develop a pilot version; and (d) complete an evaluation. Process evaluations will involve professional dietetic critique of the software design and content and focus groups with children recruited to use and evaluate the software.