Summary report on a research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Summary report on a research project - Essay Example Historically, dietary monitoring methods have focused on collecting samples which duplicate the diet consumed during a monitoring period by the individual. Such an approach for residential-based exposure measurements and evaluating dietary intake is justified for the following reasons: it includes the contribution of residue contaminants added inadvertently during food preparation in the residence (i.e. bug spray, lead based paint, etc.), and it represents a reasonable measure of daily dietary intake of the individual during the monitoring period (4). Duplicate-diet collection is considered the "gold standard" for estimating dietary exposure to contaminants (5). Additionally, duplicate-diet collection can provide a more accurate picture of nutrient composition of an individual's dietary intake than food diary records. However, duplicate-diet methodology has also been shown to have certain shortcomings (6). For example, the variability in what people eat and the non-uniform distribution of chemical residues in foods over a period of time, duplicate-diet monitoring over a short time period (up to 4 days) provides data that adequately characterize exposure of the population as a whole, but not the individual being monitored. In addition, diet samples collected during short-term field studies may not be representative of long-term dietary intakes. Reports indicate that duplicate diet collections are burdensome and collection and analysis too costly. In addition, there is a social awkwardness of collecting, storing, and transporting additional portions of food, and some situations are simply not appropriate for duplicate diet food collections, such as a picnic) (7). Furthermore, the established indirect methods of assessing dietary intakes (market basket surveys) do not capture the important contribut ions of storage, preparation, and consumption in the residence, or handling by a child. As an alternative to the duplicate diet protocol, the community food item collection methodology was tested. Two focus groups were conducted to pilot test the study protocol. Focus group interviews are a way to obtain qualitative data (8). The group environment promoted purposeful interaction to generate feedback on the proposed research (9). This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the community food item collection method as an alternative to the duplicate diet food collection as a valid way to measure the level of exposure to toxins in pregnant women and young children. Specific aims were to: 1) determine whether 60% of the subjects enrolled in the study would provide at least one food item; and 2) to estimate staff effort, cost, and resources necessary to recruit 50 mothers of children 15-24 months to the study. METHODS Study Design Mothers (n = 45) of toddlers 15 - 24 months old were enrolled in a prospective observational study testing the Community Food Collection Potential participants were screened by telephone to determine if eligibility requirements were met. Approximately 87% (n=53) of prospective subjects met eligibility criteria and were mailed consent forms. Overall, 45 mothers provided informed, written consent and were enrolled in the study, and 44 completed the study in its entirety. Eligible mothers were mailed a consent form, a child dietary habits survey, and a child food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The Institutional Review Board of the