Caregiver methods for reporting diets of 2–5-year-old children
Official title: Enhancing the Accuracy of Self-Reported Dietary Intake in Young Children: Development of Two Proxy Reporting Protocols for Self-Reported Dietary Assessment
Run by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville · NCT07227272 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether adding smartphone-based momentary prompts to a traditional 24-hour dietary recall helps caregivers of 2–5-year-olds report their children's food intake more accurately.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 2 Years to 5 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 40 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Knoxville, Tennessee) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 15, 2025 |
| Main results expected | April 30, 2026 |
| Study ends | December 2026 |
| Registry record updated | June 8, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07227272 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are adult caregivers (≥18 years) of a 2–5-year-old child without medical food restrictions, who have a compatible smartphone, can identify a second adult caregiver with a smartphone, are willing to feed study-provided foods and take pre/post photos, and live within about 25 miles of Knoxville, Tennessee.
✕Probably not a fit
Children with medical food allergies or restrictions, caregivers without a compatible smartphone, families living more than ~25 miles from Knoxville or who reside apart more than two days per week, or caregivers unwilling to provide study foods or take photos are unlikely to benefit from participation.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a randomized crossover trial comparing a traditional 24-hour dietary recall (24HR) with an ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-assisted 24HR among caregivers of children aged 2–5 years. Caregivers will provide one meal and two snacks to their child on three consecutive days while research staff weigh returned leftovers to obtain objective intake. Each caregiver completes one reporting method, waits a two-week washout, then completes the other method; a second caregiver provides at least two eating occasions to capture foods consumed away from the primary reporter. The study measures usability, types of misreporting, and accuracy of estimated energy intake from each method against the weighed foods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give researchers and clinicians a more accurate and practical way to measure young children's dietary intake, improving nutrition guidance and research.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work using 24HR and EMA in adults and older children has improved real-time reporting, but EMA-assisted proxy reporting for 2–5-year-olds is relatively new and has limited direct validation.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult caregiver ≥ 18 years old * Absence of food allergies or dietary restrictions for medical reasons (for the child) * Caregiver reports child likes at least 70% of the study-provided foods from the pre-defined list of food options * Caregiver has access to a smartphone device compatible with the EMA platform * Caregiver can identify a second adult caregiver with access to a smartphone device compatible with the EMA platform and willing to provide the child with study-provided foods for at least two eating occasions. Exclusion Criteria: * Caregiver unwilling to feed study-provided foods to their child * Caregiver unwilling to take pre-and-post photos of child's eating occasions * Caregiver unwilling or unable to identify a second adult caregiver meeting the eligibility criteria * Caregiver and child reside in a separate household for \> 2 days per week * Family resides \>25 miles outside of the Knoxville, Tennessee, metropolitan area.
Where it's running
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Healthy Eating and Activity Lab, University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Emilie Holloway, MS, RDN
- Email: ehollow5@vols.utk.edu
- Phone: 865-974-5894
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.