Validation of the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (YONAS)

Validation of the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (ESDAM)

A new dietary assessment method was developed based on the Experience Sampling Methodology. In order to use this newly developed Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (ESDAM) in research and clinical practice as a valid and reliable method to measure dietary intake the ESDAM needs to be validated against objective biomarkers and reference methods.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Validation Study
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: ESDAM validation

Detailed Description

The purpose of this research project is to advance nutritional research by delivering an improved, accurate, feasible and reliable method to assess dietary intake. Our newly developed approach to collate dietary intake based on experience sampling methodology (ESM) will serve this purpose.

Therefore, this research aims to validate the newly developed Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (ESDAM) by assessing construct validity compared to blood and urine biomarkers representing dietary intake. This will eventually result in the newly developed dietary assessment method being evidence-based and validated and, thus, ready-to-use as a reliable method for research and clinical practice.

Therefore, the ESDAM will be validated against repeated 24-hour dietary recalls, the doubly-labelled water method, urinary nitrogen and blood biomarkers. The study has a duration of four weeks. The first two weeks will be used to collect baseline data including socio-demographic, biometric data and three 24-hour recalls to assess dietary intake. During the last two weeks the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method will be evaluated against urine biomarkers (Doubly-labeled water and urinary nitrogen), blood biomarkers (erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition, beta-carotenoids, polyphenols) together with continuous glucose monitoring and two wrist-worn motion sensor devices to track eating- related movements.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 115

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Christophe Matthys, PhD; Phone Number: +32 16 34 26 55; Email: christophe.matthys@uzleuven.be

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Vlaams Brabant
    • Leuven, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium, 3000
      • Recruiting
      • KU Leuven
      • Contact: Christophe Matthys, Professor; Phone Number: +3216347205; Email: christophe.matthys@uzleuven.be
      • Contact: Joanna M Eksteen, MSc; Phone Number: +3216347205; Email: jo.eksteen@kuleuven.be
      • Principal Investigator: Christophe Matthys, Professor

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy adult volunteers

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent
• Having a smartphone and being capable of using the smartphone and apps
• Having a freezer at home
• Sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language to understand and participate in the study
• Having a stable body weight (body weight not changed by 5% last 3 months)
• Not aiming to gain or lose weight during the study period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating women
• Not following a specific diet for medical reasons (i.e. coeliac disease)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
YONAS 1; ESDAM validation	Other: ESDAM validation; 3* 24-Hour Dietary Recalls; Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (mobile application); Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring; Wrist- worn motion sensors; Doubly-labeled water administration; Blood drawings (Erythrocyte Membrane Fatty Acid composition, Carotenoids, polyphenols); Urine sampling (Doubly-labeled water, urinary nitrogen)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Daily dietary energy intake based on the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method	Daily dietary energy intake estimated by the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (ESDAM) compared to the Doubly-labeled Water Method	2 weeks
Daily dietary protein intake based on the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method	Daily dietary protein intake estimated by the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method (ESDAM) compared to urinary nitrogen	2 weeks
Daily energy expenditure derived from the doubly-labeled water method	Daily energy expenditure (kcal/day) measured by the doubly-labeled water method	2 weeks
Daily dietary protein intake based on urinary nitrogen analysis	Daily dietary protein intake based on urinary nitrogen analysis	2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dietary intake based on Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method	Daily nutrient and food group consumption estimated by the Experience Sampling Dietary Assessment Method ESDAM	2 weeks
Dietary intake based on 24-hour dietary recalls	Energy, nutrient and food group consumption measured by the 24-hour dietary recalls	2 weeks
Serum Beta-carotenoid concentration	Serum Beta-carotenoids as biomarker of fruit and vegetable consumption	4 weeks
Erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition	Erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition as biomarker of fatty acid consumption	4 weeks
Plasma polyphenol concentration	Plasma polyphenol concentration as an indication of dietary polyohenol intake	4 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Timing of glucose peaks	Timing of glucose peaks registered by Continuous Glucose Monitoring	2 weeks
Timing of eating-related motion	Timing of eating-related motion monitored by wrist-worn motion sensors	2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: KU Leuven
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christophe Matthys, PhD, KU Leuven/UZ Leuven

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Verbeke J, Verbeke K, Van der Schueren B, Vangoitsenhoven R, Matthys C. Protocol of the validation of the experience sampling-based dietary assessment method (ESDAM) against doubly labeled water, urinary protein, and biomarkers. Nutr J. 2025 Nov 5;24(1):169. doi: 10.1186/s12937-025-01232-3.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 9, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 20, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 26, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 3, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 10, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Validation; digital health; Dietary assessment; Experience Sampling; digital biomarkers; ESM; doubly-labeled water
• Other Study ID Numbers: S68363; C3/22/050 (Other Grant/Funding Number: KU Leuven)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No