Factors associated with longitudinal food record compliance in a paediatric cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
Non-compliance with food record submission can induce bias in nutritional epidemiological analysis and make it difficult to draw inference from study findings. We examined the impact of demographic, lifestyle and psychosocial factors on such non-compliance during the first 3 years of participation in a multidisciplinary prospective paediatric study.


DESIGN
The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study collects a 3 d food record quarterly during the first year of life and semi-annually thereafter. High compliance with food record completion was defined as the participating families submitting one or more days of food record at every scheduled clinic visit.


SETTING
Three centres in the USA (Colorado, Georgia/Florida and Washington) and three in Europe (Finland, Germany and Sweden).


SUBJECTS
Families who finished the first 3 years of TEDDY participation (n 8096).


RESULTS
High compliance was associated with having a single child, older maternal age, higher maternal education and father responding to study questionnaires. Families showing poor compliance were more likely to be living far from the study centres, from ethnic minority groups, living in a crowded household and not attending clinic visits regularly. Postpartum depression, maternal smoking behaviour and mother working outside the home were also independently associated with poor compliance.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings identified specific groups for targeted strategies to encourage completion of food records, thereby reducing potential bias in multidisciplinary collaborative research.
['Yang|Jimin|J|', 'Lynch|Kristian F|KF|', 'Uusitalo|Ulla M|UM|', 'Foterek|Kristina|K|', 'Hummel|Sandra|S|', 'Silvis|Katherine|K|', 'Aronsson|Carin Andrén|CA|', 'Riikonen|Anne|A|', 'Rewers|Marian|M|', 'She|Jin-Xiong|JX|', 'Ziegler|Anette G|AG|', 'Simell|Olli G|OG|', 'Toppari|Jorma|J|', 'Hagopian|William A|WA|', 'Lernmark|Åke|Å|', 'Akolkar|Beena|B|', 'Krischer|Jeffrey P|JP|', 'Norris|Jill M|JM|', 'Virtanen|Suvi M|SM|', 'Johnson|Suzanne B|SB|', '|||']
D000293:Adolescent D015982:Bias D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D003120:Colorado D015930:Diet Records D005191:Family Characteristics D005260:Female D005387:Finland D005431:Florida D005845:Georgia D005858:Germany D006801:Humans D007223:Infant D008019:Life Style D008297:Male D015596:Nutrition Assessment D010349:Patient Compliance D011446:Prospective Studies D012307:Risk Factors D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D013548:Sweden D014861:Washington
Food record compliance Paediatrics TEDDY Dietary assessment Longitudinal study