Validation of the Remote Food Photography Method to quantify intake of infant formula (36.1)

Abstract

Background: Accurate methods of assessing food intake in infants are needed to assess the relationship between infant feeding practices and the risk of childhood obesity. Current methods are either subjective or have limited ability for widespread use beyond clinical research settings due to cost and high burden. Objective: To assess the accuracy of the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM), a novel food intake assessment method, to estimate infant formula as compared to the gold standard, the directly weighed foods method. Design: Fifty‐three adults were recruited to prepare infant formula bottles and use the RFPM to capture photographs of infant formula at different stages of bottle preparation (dry powdered formula, liquid prepared formula, and liquid waste). Gram weights were measured by the RFPM and the directly weighed foods method with the aim of the RFPM to estimate food intake within 10% of the directly wegihed foods method. The effects of trial number and caregiver status on the preparation of dry powdered formula and liquid prepared formula were also examined. Results: The RFPM estimated liquid formula intake within 10% of the directly weighed foods method in 2 fluid ounce, 4 fluid ounce, and 6 fluid ounce bottles by ‐4.1 ± 14.4% (P<0.0001), 2.8 ± 16.3% (P=0.1550), and 7.0 ± 12.4% (P<0.0001), respectively. The RFPM estimated liquid formula intake by 14.0 ± 10.3% (P<0.0001) in 8 fluid ounce bottles. There were no significant differences for the effects of trial number and caregiver status on infant formula preparation except for a significant main effect of caregiver status on the preparation of dry powdered formula of 2 fluid ounce bottles (P=0.05). Conclusion: Accuracy of the RFPM is comparable to other objective methods without excess cost or burden. The RFPM is therefore a viable method for measuring infant formula intake in infants with potential for widespread use in research and clinical practice.