Learn Glossary clinical methodology

24-Hour Recall

Dietary assessment method in which a trained interviewer records all foods and beverages a client consumed in the previous 24 hours.

The 24-hour recall is quick and low-burden but depends on memory and may not represent usual intake. Multiple-pass methodology (a structured five-step interview) improves accuracy. Often used in NHANES and other population surveys.

How one textbook covers it

  • Krause and Mahan's Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 16th ed.Chapter 4

    The 24-hour recall is quick and low-burden but depends on memory and may not represent usual intake. Multiple-pass methodology (a structured five-step interview) improves accuracy. Often used in NHANES and other population surveys.

Related terms

Dietary Intake Data, Food Frequency Questionnaire, Food Record