A quantitative analysis of energy intake reported by young men

Aim:  To quantitatively analyse energy intake reported by young men and the accuracy of the Goldberg cut-off method for identifying misreporters.
Methods:  This was a cross-sectional study in which: food intake was assessed by a four-day food record; resting metabolic rate was assessed by indirect calorimetry; percentage body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; and energy expenditure was assessed by physical activity record completed simultaneously with food intake measurements. Energy intake was analysed by direct comparison of energy intake and energy expenditure and by the Goldberg cut-off. Subjects: 34 healthy men aged 18–25 years. Setting: Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. Main outcome measures: percentage of misreporters in a group of young men using different methods. Statistical analyses: data are presented as means and standard deviations. The analyses were conducted using Statistic for Windows 5.5 software.
Results:  Seven underreporters were identified by direct comparison of energy intake and energy expenditure. The Goldberg cut-off found six out of the seven underreporters identified by direct comparison of energy intake and energy expenditure, but wrongly identified two acceptable reporters as underreporters. The sensitivity and specificity of the Goldberg cut-off method were 0.86 and 0.93, respectively.
Conclusions:  Seven out of 34 participants underreported their energy intake. In the absence of physical activity measurements, the Goldberg cut-off method identified underreporters in this group of young men with assessed resting metabolic rate.