A novel web-based 24-hour dietary recall tool in line with the Nova food processing classification: description and evaluation

ABSTRACT Objective This paper describes the first web-based self-completed 24-hour recall designed to categorize food intake according to Nova groups - Nova24h – and its agreement with a reference tool in estimating the dietary relative contribution of the four Nova food groups (% of total energy intake). Design Comparisons of estimates of dietary relative contributions of Nova groups obtained by Nova24h and one standard interviewer-led 24-hour recall. Setting Nationwide adult cohort study in Brazil. Participants The subjects were 186 participants of the NutriNet Brasil Cohort Study (n=186). Results No statistically significant differences were observed between the Nova24h and the reference tool mean contributions of unprocessed or minimally processed foods (52.3% vs. 52.6%), processed culinary ingredients (11.6% vs. 11.9%), processed foods (17.1% vs. 14.7%) and ultra-processed foods (19.0% vs. 20.9%). Intraclass correlation coefficients between individual estimates obtained for each Nova group showed moderate to good agreement (0.54-0.78). Substantial or almost perfect agreement between the tools was seen regarding the ability to rank participants according to quintiles of contribution of each Nova group (PABAK 0.69-0.81). Conclusions Nova24h is a suitable tool for estimating the dietary relative energy contribution of Nova food groups in the NutriNet Brasil cohort. New studies are necessary to verify its adequacy in other populations.