Reliability of a Modified 24 h Dietary Recall and Veggie Meter to Assess Fruit and Vegetable Intake in New Zealand Children

Adequate intake of fruits and vegetables (F + V) supports healthy growth and development in children, yet many New Zealand children do not meet national dietary recommendations, and methods to evaluate intake require good reliability. <b>Objectives:</b> To establish the validity and reliability of a modified 24 h multiple pass recall (MPR) for evaluating F + V and carotenoid intakes in children aged 9-13 years. The reliability of the Veggie Meter^® (VM^®), a non-invasive reflection spectrometer to estimate skin carotenoid scores and derive blood carotenoid concentrations, was also examined. <b>Methods:</b> Thirty-two children (20 boys, 12 girls) completed three 24 h MPRs and parent-assisted weighed food diaries (WFDs) on randomised weekdays and weekends. Skin carotenoid scores were assessed using the VM^®. The validity of the MPR was evaluated against WFDs using log-transformed Pearson correlations and mean x-axis bias. The reliability was assessed by the coefficient of variation (CV) and Pearson correlations. <b>Results:</b> Participants did not meet recommended F + V intakes (5-5.5 servings/day): MPR (mean fruit 1.3 servings/day; vegetables 2.0), WFD (fruit 1.3; vegetables 1.9). The MPR was a valid tool to estimate fruit and vegetable daily servings (combined-day Pearson coefficients > 0.71) with only trivial-small standardized mean bias-offset vs. WFD; however, the reliability was poor for the MPR-estimated carotenoid intake (CV 126%) and F + V intake. In contrast, the VM^® was reliable (Pearson correlation 0.97-0.99) with low measurement error (CV 4.0-5.2%). <b>Conclusions:</b> The modified 24 h MPR was valid but unreliable for estimating F + V and carotenoid intake. The VM^® demonstrated high reliability as a biomarker of skin carotenoid status in children.