Validation of innovative technology to measure the energy intake of free-living h

描述（由申请人提供）：肥胖的患病率在全球范围内正在增加，并且有一个强烈的共识，即体重增加和肥胖是正能量平衡的结果，当摄入的能量多于消耗的能量时，就会发生这种情况。能量摄入（食物摄入）是体重增加的主要原因之一，然而在人们的自然环境或自由生活条件下，很少有准确的方法来测量食物摄入。因此，科学家很难研究食物摄入、能量平衡、体重增加和肥胖。此外，对于那些希望控制体重的人来说，学习如何调整能量平衡是很困难的，因为他们管理能量平衡的能力受到能量摄入信息不准确的阻碍。人们经常使用食物记录或食物日记来测量能量摄入，但人们发现它们并不准确。在填写食物记录时，人们会在纸笔表格上记录下他们所吃食物的种类和数量。测量能量摄入的“黄金标准”依赖于双标签水法，但这种方法成本高昂，大多数研究人员和临床医生无法使用。双标签水法也不能提供关于食用的食物种类和饮食中常量营养素组成的信息。因此，这种方法提供的关于饮食营养充足性的信息很少。食物的数码摄影是一种在自然环境中（如自助餐厅）精确测量能量摄入的方法，它也有望改善对自由生活个体食物摄入的估计。使用这种方法时，在用餐前用数码相机拍摄个人选择的食物盘，并在用餐后拍摄盘子废物。已知数量的食物的参考或标准部分也被拍照。在实验室里，训练有素的法官（注册营养师）使用这些照片来估计食物选择的份量和盘子浪费，通过将这些照片与标准份量的照片进行比较。这些估计值被输入到计算食物摄入量的计算机应用程序中（食物摄入量=食物选择减去盘子浪费）。一系列初步研究发现，这种方法可以改变，并在自由生活的条件下使用。这项研究的目的是开发和测试创新技术，这将有助于通过数字摄影方法收集自由生活的人类准确的能量摄入数据。参与者将用手机拍摄他们选择的食物和盘子垃圾的照片，这些数据将通过蜂窝网络“实时”传输到研究人员的数据库中。将开发一种半自动计算机应用程序，自动识别这些图片中的食物，并根据这些图片估计食物的摄入量。在拟议的项目中，将开发这个计算机应用程序，并在实验室和自由生活条件下测试估计良好摄入量方法的可靠性和有效性（准确性）。本研究有望显著推进能量平衡的研究，并为临床医生测量能量摄入提供有用的工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide and there is a strong consensus that weight gain and obesity are the consequence of a positive energy balance, which occurs when more energy is ingested than expended. Energy intake (food intake) is one of the primary culprits of weight gain, yet few accurate methods exist to measure food intake in people's natural environment or free-living conditions. Consequently, it is difficult for scientists to study food intake, energy balance, weight gain, and obesity. Additionally, it is difficult for people who wish to manage their weight to learn how to modify energy balance, since their ability to manage energy balance is hindered by inaccurate information about energy intake. Food records or food diaries are frequently used to measure energy intake, but they have been found to be inaccurate. When completing a food record, people record the types and amounts of the foods that they eat on pen-and-paper forms. The "gold standard" for measuring energy intake relies on the doubly labeled water method, but this method is costly and not available to most researchers and clinicians. The doubly labeled water method also does not provide information about the types of foods being eaten and the macronutrient composition of the diet. Therefore, this method provides little information about the nutritional adequacy of the diet. Digital photography of foods, a method that has been found to accurately measure energy intake in naturalistic settings (e.g., cafeterias), might also have promise in improving estimates of food intake in free-living individuals. When using this method, the plate of foods selected by an individual is photographed with a digital camera before the meal and plate waste is photographed after the meal. Reference or standard portions of known quantities of the foods are also photographed. In the laboratory, trained judges (registered dietitians) use these photographs to estimate the portion size of food selection and plate waste by comparing these photographs to the photograph of a standard portion. These estimates are entered into a computer application that calculates food intake (food intake = food selection minus plate waste). A series of pilot studies has found that this method can be altered and used in free-living conditions. The purpose of this study is to develop and test innovative technology that will acilitate the collection of accurate energy intake data in free-living humans sing the digital photography method. Participants will take photographs of their food selection and plate waste sing cell phones and these data will be transferred to the researchers' database over the cellular network in ear "real-time." A semi-automated computer application will be developed to automatically identify the foods in these pictures and estimate the amount of food eaten based on he pictures. During the proposed project, this computer application will be developed and the reliability and validity (accuracy) of the method for estimating good intake will be tested in laboratory and free-living conditions. This research promises to significantly advance the study of energy balance and provide a useful tool to clinicians for measuring energy intake.