Introduction: The collection of accurate dietary information from parents of young children is fraught with numerous challenges. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare results of two commonly used dietary assessment methodologies: Block Food Frequency questionnaire for children and the NDS Triple Pass 24-hour recall method in a multi-ethnic cohort of young children. Methods: Dietary information was collected from parents of children ages 2-6 years enrolled in a multi-center longitudinal observational study to evaluate the effect of severe early childhood caries on growth. Approximately half of the children had severe early childhood caries (n=210) and half did not (n=190). The mean age of all study participants was 3 years 9 months (±10 months) The participants were predominantly African American (55%), Medicaid recipients (84%) and low income (41.4% at <$15,000 and 55.1% at <$25,000 in annual income). Correlation analysis was used to compare assessment methods for dietary intake of macro- and micronutrients key to oral health in children. Data were analyzed using SPSS/PC V 11.1. Results: The FFQ method consistently resulted in higher levels of intake. No significant correlations were found between the 2 instruments in assessing several common nutrients such as calories, total fat, fiber and carbohydrates as well as several additional nutrients.

Mean (sd) Intake by Dietary Assessment Tool

Nutrient	24 hr Recall	FFQ
Calories	1299(499.5)	1577(621.4)
Total Fat(g)	46.9(22.5)	60.6(26.1)
Fiber (g)	7.9(4.4)	11.0(4.9)
Carbohydrates (g)	167.4(69.6)	209.7(83.1)

Conclusion: Methodological issues related to dietary assessment in young children must be examined. Because the Block questionnaire captures intake over the prior year whereas the 24 hour recall methods captures the prior day only, the choice of instrument must be chosen in the context of the specific clinical condition being evaluated. This study was supported by NIDCR and NCMHD NIH Cooperative Agreement U54 DE14264.

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