https://www.mdu.se/

Introduction: The HELENA study (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescents) has been performed in ten cities around Europe. The study has used a computerized 24h-recall program called “Young adolescents' nutrition assessment on computer” (YANA-C). The first YANA-C version has been developed, used and validated in Belgium. In the HELENA study all countries translated and culturally adapted the international YANA-C software according to a standard protocol. The validity of the results might depend on the translation and compliance to the protocol.

Aim: To investigate the relative validity of the computerized 24h-recall, YANA-C, against estimated dietary records, in adolescents (13 and 16 years of age) in three (additional) countries (Sweden, Hungary and Spain) belonging to the HELENA study.

Method: More than three hundred adolescents completed YANA-C on two non-consecutive days. One to five days later, the adolescents completed an estimated dietary record on two non-consecutive comparable days as those for which YANA-C was completed. Wilcoxon signed rank test is used to compare the intakes of food groups and nutrients (energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, iron) between both methods.

Results: Preliminary results from the Hungarian sample (n=99) show a significant lower intake of carbohydrates (p<0.001), protein (p<0.001) and a higher intake of fat (<0.05), fiber (<0.05), calcium (<0.01) in the dietary records compared to the YANA-Cs. There was no significant difference in energy, vitamin C and iron.

Discussion/Conclusion: The results differ from what previously has been found in the Flemish validation study. This indicates the importance to validate the instrument in the different countries using YANA-C. Analyses on a food group level might help to explain differences between methods and between countries.

HELENA study takes place with the financial support of the European Community (FP6-2003-Food-2-A, FOOD- 2003-T2.4, Contract FOOD-CT-2005-007034)