Dietary assessment in Whitehall. II. The influence of reporting bias on apparent socioeconomic variation in nutrient intakes

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 1997-12, Vol.51 (12), p.815-825
• Main Authors: Stallone, D.D, Brunner, E.J, Bingham, S.A, Marmot, M.G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antioxidants; Ascorbic acid; Bias; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Carbohydrates; Cardiovascular diseases; Carotene; Cholesterol; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data analysis; data collection; Diaries; Diet; Diet - statistics & numerical data; diet study techniques; Diet Surveys; dietary fat; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Dietary fiber; dietary surveys; Economics; Employment; Energy; Energy Intake; Fatty acids; Female; Fisheries; Food intake; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Linoleic acid; London; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic rate; Micronutrients; Middle Aged; nutrient intake; Nutrients; Nutrition; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; Oils & fats; Polls & surveys; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Potassium; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; socioeconomic status; Socioeconomics; Tocopherol; Vitamin E; β-Carotene
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600491

Objective: To assess socio-economic differences in nutrient intake, giving particular consideration to the influence of reporting bias. Design: Cross-sectional study. Three methods of data analysis (inclusion of all subjects, exclusion of low energy reporters, and regression-based energy adjustment) were evaluated against biomarkers of fatty acid and antioxidant intakes. Setting: London-based Civil Servants. Subjects: Age and employment grade stratified random sub-sample of 459 men and 406 women aged 39-61 y who completed 7 d diet diaries at Phase 3 follow-up (1991-93) of the Whitehall II Study. Dietary measures: Mean daily intakes by employment grade (6 levels) of dietary energy, total fat, saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), linoleic acid, carbohydrate excluding fibre, dietary fibre, protein, alcohol, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenes, potassium and calcium. Biomarkers: serum cholesterol ester fatty acids (CEFA), total cholesterol, plasma alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene. Results: Low energy reporting (LER), defined as a reported energy intake below 1.2 times calculated basal metabolic rate, was strongly associated with employment grade (top grade: men 17.3%, women 19.3%, bottom grade: men 45.7%, women 49.2% trend P