Patel, Varshika VPerera, Thalagalage Shalika HarshaniRush, ElaineMcArley, SarahWham, CarolRowlands, David S2025-10-302025-10-302025-10-20Nutrients, ISSN: 2072-6643 (Print); 2072-6643 (Online), MDPI AG, 17(20), 3293-3293. doi: 10.3390/nu172032932072-66432072-6643http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20026Adequate intake of fruits and vegetables (F + V) supports healthy growth and development in children, yet many New Zealand children do not meet national dietary recommendations, and methods to evaluate intake require good reliability. Objectives: To establish the validity and reliability of a modified 24 h multiple pass recall (MPR) for evaluating F + V and carotenoid intakes in children aged 9–13 years. The reliability of the Veggie Meter® (VM®), a non-invasive reflection spectrometer to estimate skin carotenoid scores and derive blood carotenoid concentrations, was also examined. Methods: Thirty-two children (20 boys, 12 girls) completed three 24 h MPRs and parent-assisted weighed food diaries (WFDs) on randomised weekdays and weekends. Skin carotenoid scores were assessed using the VM®. The validity of the MPR was evaluated against WFDs using log-transformed Pearson correlations and mean x-axis bias. The reliability was assessed by the coefficient of variation (CV) and Pearson correlations. Results: Participants did not meet recommended F + V intakes (5–5.5 servings/day): MPR (mean fruit 1.3 servings/day; vegetables 2.0), WFD (fruit 1.3; vegetables 1.9). The MPR was a valid tool to estimate fruit and vegetable daily servings (combined-day Pearson coefficients &gt; 0.71) with only trivial–small standardized mean bias-offset vs. WFD; however, the reliability was poor for the MPR-estimated carotenoid intake (CV 126%) and F + V intake. In contrast, the VM® was reliable (Pearson correlation 0.97–0.99) with low measurement error (CV 4.0–5.2%). Conclusions: The modified 24 h MPR was valid but unreliable for estimating F + V and carotenoid intake. The VM® demonstrated high reliability as a biomarker of skin carotenoid status in children.</jats:p>© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).4206 Public Health32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences3210 Nutrition and Dietetics42 Health SciencesNutritionPediatricPrevention0908 Food Sciences1111 Nutrition and Dietetics3202 Clinical sciences3210 Nutrition and dietetics4206 Public healthdietary intake assessment24 h multiple pass recallweighed food diaryfruit and vegetableVeggie Meter®carotenoidJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3390/nu17203293