Initiating the PREPARED project : a digital dietary intervention for preconception young adults – protocol development, validation of dietary methods, and DOHaD knowledge-diet quality insights

Abstract

Background The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory suggests that environmental exposures during critical developmental periods can profoundly affect long-term health and disease risk of both the individual and subsequent generations. Within the theory of DOHaD, maintaining a healthy diet offers a triple dividend in health, encompassing short- and long-term health of the individual and potential benefits for future generations. An individual’s diet and nutrition before conceiving a child is commonly referred to as preconception nutrition. Adopting a public health perspective on preconception nutrition is essential for promoting a healthier future, as it sets the foundation for long-term health and lifestyle behaviours that can significantly influence the prospect of future offspring health. Aims and objectives The current thesis aimed to plan and establish the basis for the PREPARED project, with a specific emphasis on validating dietary assessment methods to be utilized throughout the entire project, while also conducting a specific analysis of DOHaD knowledge and diet quality on the baseline data. This was to be accomplished through four specific objectives: (a) develop a study protocol outlining the research process for the PREPARED project, (b) develop digital food item image-series to aid portion size estimation accuracy in a 24-hour dietary recall system to be used in PREPARED project, and validate their accuracy by comparing them with pre-weighed food portions, (c) validate a dietary screener against a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for rapid dietary assessment in the PREPARED project, and (d) assess preconception young adults’ DOHaD knowledge and diet quality, and the association between the two, using the baseline data from the PREPARED study.