Community Medicine (PSM) · Nutrition (Macro/Micronutrients, RDA, PEM, Nutritional Programmes)

In nutritional anthropometry, the 24-hour dietary recall method is commonly used for individual dietary assessment. The key limitation of this method is:

  • A It depends on the respondent's memory and cannot capture day-to-day variation
  • B It requires trained investigators and is expensive
  • C It overestimates intake in underweight individuals
  • D It cannot be used for illiterate populations
Correct answer: A. It depends on the respondent's memory and cannot capture day-to-day variation

Explanation

The 24-hour recall relies on memory (recall bias) and a single day's intake does not represent habitual intake due to high intra-individual day-to-day variation. It is actually inexpensive and quick (option B describes food frequency or weighed record methods). It can be adapted for illiterate populations through visual aids. Multiple recalls on non-consecutive days improve accuracy.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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