Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36789937›Full record

Trial reportThe American journal of clinical nutrition2023

Reliability and validity of assigning ultraprocessed food categories to 24-h dietary recall data.

Nadia M Sneed, Somto Ukwuani, Evan C Sommer, Lauren R Samuels, Kimberly P Truesdale, Donna Matheson, Tracy E Noerper, Shari L Barkin, William J Heerman

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Energy contribution from ultra processed foods in peruvian children.Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica · 2025
    Article
  18. The role of ultra-processed food in obesity.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Nadia M SneedDepartment of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Research Development and Scholarship, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: nadia.sneed@vanderbilt.edu.
Somto UkwuaniVanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Evan C SommerDepartment of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Lauren R SamuelsDepartment of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Kimberly P TruesdaleDepartment of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Donna MathesonStanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Tracy E NoerperLipscomb University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Shari L BarkinDepartment of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
William J HeermanDepartment of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

Funding

The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)UL1TR000445 · NCATS · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BERNARD, GORDON RAPHAEL · 2012 to 2016
$41.4M
UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CLINICAL NUTRITION RESEARCH UNITP30DK056350 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Venkata Saroja Voruganti · 1999 to 2026
$31.6M
Growing Right Onto Wellness (GROW): Changing Early Childhood BMI TrajectoriesU01HL103620 · NHLBI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BARKIN, SHARI · 2010 to 2016
$11.9M
Learning Health System training program: PROgRESS--Patient/ pRactice Outcomes and Research in Effectiveness and Systems ScienceT32HS026122 · AHRQ · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI GRIJALVA, CARLOS G, ROUMIE, CHRISTIANNE L. · 2018 to 2024
$3.5M
Ultra-Processed Foods and Childhood ObesityR03HL154243 · NHLBI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI HEERMAN, WILLIAM · 2020 to 2021
$173k
AHRQ HHS T32 HS026122NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000445NHLBI NIH HHS R03 HL154243NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL103620NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK056350
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Nova classification system categorizes foods into 4 processing levels, including ultraprocessed foods (UPFs). Consumption of UPFs is extensive in the United States, and high UPF consumption is associated with chronic disease risk. A reliable and valid method to Nova-categorize foods would advance understanding of UPF consumption and its relationship to health outcomes.

objectivesTest the reliability and validity of training coders and assigning Nova categories to individual foods collected via 24-h dietary recalls.

designA secondary analysis of 24-h dietary recalls from 610 children who participated in a randomized controlled trial and were 3-5 y old at baseline was conducted. The Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) software was used to collect 2-3 dietary recalls at baseline and yearly for 3 y. Trained and certified coder pairs independently categorized foods into one of 4 Nova categories (minimally processed, processed culinary ingredients, processed, and ultraprocessed). Interrater reliability was assessed by percent concordance between coder pairs and by Cohen's κ coefficient. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the average daily macronutrient content of foods between Nova categories.

resultsIn 5546 valid recall days, 3099 unique foods were categorized: minimally processed (18%), processed culinary ingredients (0.4%), processed (15%), and ultraprocessed (67%). Coder concordance = 88.3%, and κ coefficient = 0.75. Descriptive comparisons of macronutrient content across 66,531 diet recall food entries were consistent with expectations. On average, UPFs were 62% (SD 19) of daily calories, and a disproportionally high percentage of daily added sugar (94%; SD 16) and low percentage of daily protein (47%; SD 24). Minimally processed foods were 30% (SD 17) of daily calories, and a disproportionally low percentage of daily added sugar (1%; SD 8) and high percentage of daily protein (43%; SD 24).

conclusionsThis method of Nova classifying NDSR-based 24-h dietary recalls was reliable and valid for identifying individual intake of processed foods, including UPFs.

Indexed as

Fast FoodsFood HandlingChildDietEnergy IntakeHumansReproducibility of ResultsSugarsSugars24-h dietary recalldiet qualitydiet recall methodsNova classification systemnutritionultraprocessed foods

Identifiers

PMID36789937
PMCPMC10196599

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.