Evaluating the Feasibility of Utilizing the Automated Self-administered 24-hour (ASA24) Dietary Recall in a Sample of Multiethnic Older Adults

Abstract

The ASA24 is a web application which enables the collection of self-administered dietary recalls thus utilizing technology to overcome some of the limitations of traditional assessment methodologies. Older adults, particularly those from certain ethnic groups may have less access to and may be less receptive to technology. This research sought to determine the level of access to the internet as well as evaluate the feasibility of using a web-based alternative dietary data collection method in older, multiethnic adults. Participants completed three telephone administered diet recalls (n=347), and were asked to complete a one day recall via the ASA24. They were also asked to evaluate their experience with using the ASA24 system. Almost 60% of the participants reported no access to a computer or internet access, with African Americans and Latinos less likely than non-Hispanic Whites and Japanese-Americans to have access. Of those with access to the internet (n=100), 44% of the participants accessed the ASA24 system and 37% successfully launched the ASA24 program. However, most respondents preferred the traditional diet recall methodology over the ASA24. Further research is needed to investigate recruitment and use of electronic data collection methodologies in older adults.

Adaptation and Evaluation of Myfood24-Germany: A Web-Based Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Recall for the German Adult Population

“…In contrast, Carter et al observed a lower SUS score for myfood24-UK in older adults (median SUS score = 29, n = 4 ≥ 65 years old) compared to younger age groups [5]. Further, feasibility testing for ASA24 in two different samples of elderly individuals showed that participants mostly preferred the traditional telephone-administered 24HDR [29] and the SUS score of 57 (SD 12.4, ASA24-Canada-2014) indicated poor usability [30]. The authors presumed that low computer literacy and limited Internet access narrow the ability to conduct self-administered 24HDRs online in older adults [29][30][31].…”

“…Further, feasibility testing for ASA24 in two different samples of elderly individuals showed that participants mostly preferred the traditional telephone-administered 24HDR [29] and the SUS score of 57 (SD 12.4, ASA24-Canada-2014) indicated poor usability [30]. The authors presumed that low computer literacy and limited Internet access narrow the ability to conduct self-administered 24HDRs online in older adults [29][30][31]. Our contrasting findings might be explained by the fact that only participants with Internet access were included in the evaluation study, and that the majority of participants had experience in using computers.…”

“…However, similar to our study population, the examined participants were cognitively healthy, highly educated, and variation across education level was limited. Other age dependent factors (e.g., lack of memory, vision problems) as well as sociodemographic factors might generally affect the ability to conduct self-administered 24HDRs online [29][30][31].…”

Validity and Reliability of a Short Diet Questionnaire to Estimate Dietary Intake in Older Adults in a Subsample of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…Informal feedback from participants highlighted issues with the user-friendliness of the system, technological barriers to completing recalls, and limitations of food selection options. A previous study using the Beta version of ASA24 in older adults (55 to 80 years) also found technology literacy to be a barrier for implementation and half of the participants preferred a traditional 24HR over ASA24 [ 19 ]. Since completion of the CLSA Diet Study, an updated version of ASA24-Canada was released in Fall 2016 including a French version and an improved interface that overcomes some of the technological issues in this study.…”

“…Only one study examined the feasibility of the ASA24 in a sample of older adults (using a beta-version), and reported substantial challenges related to internet access and technology literacy. More research is needed to assess the usability of current versions of automated dietary assessment tools among older populations [ 19 ].…”