Assessment of dietary intake in rural communities in Africa: experiences in Kenya.

Dissemination of state-of-the-art dietary assessment methods is especially critical in both developed and developing countries with rising rates of various chronic diseases. Such activity provides opportunities to address dietary issues related to specific cultures, especially non-Western cultures, and in groups with different styles of serving and eating food. Special considerations are necessary when planning and performing dietary intake studies in less literate rural communities in developing countries. In this study, dietary intake data collected from preschool children and elderly subjects in a rural area of Kenya with use of repeated 24-h recalls were compared with data obtained by means of 3-d weighed-food records. The two methods yielded similar results but the 24-h recall was quicker and less expensive. If 24-h recall studies are carefully planned and carried out and include consideration of local household measures and eating habits, they can provide reliable information, especially about communities in which people have simple and monotonous diets.