Comparison of contemporaneous and retrospective estimates of food consumption made by a dietary history method.

In 1983 the relative validity of a retrospective dietary history method was assessed against a current dietary history taken seven years previously in 1976 and a second current dietary history taken in 1983. In total, 44 men and 58 women, aged 38 to 62 years, participated in the study. For energy intake and for most nutrients, the relative difference between the results obtained with the retrospective dietary history and the current dietary history in 1976 was below 15% and for six of the 11 nutrients below 10%. When the three macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) were expressed as a proportion of energy intake, the relative difference was also below 10%. Similar results were found for food groups. The data obtained retrospectively correlate rather well with the results of the current dietary history taken in 1983, suggesting an effect of contemporaneous food habits on retrospective reporting.