Validity and Reliability of Tools to Measure Ultra-Processed Food Intake under the NOVA System: A Systematic Review - PubMed
2 days ago
- #systematic review
- #ultra-processed foods
- #NOVA system
- Systematic review evaluates validity and reliability of tools measuring ultra-processed food (UPF) intake under the NOVA system.
- UPFs are linked to adverse health outcomes, but accurate intake assessment is challenging due to reliance on self-reported data.
- Review includes 30 studies: 19 on dietary intake instruments, 4 on biomarker-based/indirect tools, and 7 on contextual/auxiliary instruments.
- Test-retest reliability of dietary intake instruments was moderate to high (ICC ≥ 0.46-0.94).
- Relative validity against dietary reference methods was modest to moderate (correlations typically r ≥ 0.47-0.72).
- Agreement between processing classification systems ranged from fair to substantial (κ/PABAK ≥ 0.36-0.84).
- Contextual and auxiliary instruments showed high internal consistency (α/ω ≥ 0.74).
- Half of the studies (15) had a low risk of bias, while the other half were rated as unclear.
- Instruments demonstrate acceptable reproducibility but variable validity and classification uncertainty.
- Future research should focus on higher-quality reference methods, transparent coding rules, and calibration strategies.