scholarly journals Validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire for estimating calcium intake in Belgian preschool children

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 802-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Dirk De Bacquer ◽  
Christophe Matthys ◽  
Guy De Backer ◽  
Stefaan De Henauw

Relative validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for measuring preschool children's usual Ca intake were assessed using parents or guardians as a proxy. Estimated diet records (EDR; 3d) were used as the reference method and reproducibility was measured by repeated FFQ administrations 5 weeks apart. From 2095 preschool children (2·5–6·5 years) randomly selected in Flanders (Flemish region of Belgium), 1052 returned a FFQ and EDR. Stringent exclusion procedures reduced the sample for validity analyses to 509 children. From a separate sample of 244 preschool children, 124 returned two FFQ, of whom sixty were included in the reproducibility analysis. Mean Ca intakes were 838 (sd 305) and 777 (sd 296) mg/d for EDR and FFQ respectively, indicating a mean difference of 60·9 (sd 294·4) mg/d (p<0·001). Pearson's correlation was 0·52. Cross-classification analysis of the FFQ and EDR classified 83%of the subjects in the same or adjacent category and 2·4% in extreme quartiles. Actual values for surrogate FFQ quartiles showed a progressive increase in Ca intake (p<0·001). The FFQ correctly identified 77% of the children consuming less Ca than the age-specific RDA (800mg/d). Correlation between repeated administrations was 0·79. No significant difference between mean Ca intakes was established by two administrations (23·8 (sd 161·2) mg/d). Cross-classification of repeated administrations classified 93·4% of the subjects in the same or adjacent category and no subjects in extreme categories. This FFQ tended to underestimate preschool children's Ca intake when administered by a proxy. However, it demonstrated good repeatability and fairly good ability to classify subjects into extremes of Ca intake.

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Carine Vereecken ◽  
Dirk De Bacquer ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
Herman Van Oyen ◽  
...  

The diet quality index (DQI) for preschool children is a new index developed to reflect compliance with four main food-based dietary guidelines for preschool children in Flanders. The present study investigates: (1) the validity of this index by comparing DQI scores for preschool children with nutrient intakes, both of which were derived from 3 d estimated diet records; (2) the reproducibility of the DQI for preschoolers based on a parentally reported forty-seven-item FFQ DQI, which was repeated after 5 weeks; (3) the relative validity of the FFQ DQI with 3 d record DQI scores as reference. The study sample included 510 and 58 preschoolers (2·5–6·5 years) for validity and reproducibility analyses, respectively. Increasing 3 d record DQI scores were associated with decreasing consumption of added sugars, and increasing intakes of fibre, water, Ca and many micronutrients. Mean FFQ DQI test–retest scores were not significantly different: 72 (sd 11) v. 71 (sd 10) (P = 0·218) out of a maximum of 100. Mean 3 d record DQI score (66 (sd 10)) was significantly lower than mean FFQ DQI (71 (sd 10); P < 0·001). The reproducibility correlation was 0·88. Pearsons correlation (adjusted for within-person variability) between FFQ and 3 d record DQI scores was 0·82. Cross-classification analysis of the FFQ and 3 d record DQI classified 60 % of the subjects in the same category and 3 % in extreme tertiles. Cross-classification of repeated administrations classified 62 % of the subjects in the same category and 3 % in extreme categories. The FFQ-based DQI approach compared well with the 3 d record approach, and it can be used to determine diet quality among preschoolers.


2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 971-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Jackson ◽  
S Walker ◽  
J Cade ◽  
T Forrester ◽  
JK Cruickshank ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground:An interviewer-administered quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to determine the energy and nutrient intakes of adult Jamaicans of African origin as part of a study of the epidemiology of diabetes and hypertension.Methods:Reproducibility of the questionnaire was investigated in 123 participants aged 25–74 years. The relative validity of the FFQ was assessed against twelve 24-hour recalls administered over 12 months in 73 of the participants. In addition, energy intakes (EI) were compared with estimated basal metabolic rates (BMR).Results:Reproducibility correlation coefficients (Pearson and intraclass) varied between 0.42 for retinol and 0.71 for carbohydrate, with most values falling between 0.50 and 0.60. When compared with repeated 24-hour recalls, the FFQ estimated slightly higher energy (mean 6%) and macronutrient intakes (mean 2–14%), and was within 5% when expressed as a percentage of energy intake. Micronutrients were higher by 1.19 (calcium) to 1.61 times (vitamin C). Unadjusted correlations between the FFQ and the reference method ranged from 0.20 for beta-carotene to 0.86 for alcohol. Cross-classification of nutrients into quartiles showed that 46–48% of participants in the lowest and highest quartiles were jointly classified by both methods. Misclassifications were low for most nutrients with one or two persons misclassified at the extreme quartiles. EI/BMR ratios suggested light to moderate activity levels appropriate for an urban population in a developing country.Conclusions:The FFQ showed reasonable reproducibility and validity and is suitable for estimating the habitual intakes of energy and macronutrients, but was poor for some micronutrients (retinol and beta-carotene).


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Márcia Oliveira MASCARENHAS ◽  
Rita de Cássia Ribeiro SILVA ◽  
Maria Ester Pereira Conceição MACHADO ◽  
Carlos Antonio de Souza Teles SANTOS ◽  
Dirce Maria Lobo MARCHIONI ◽  
...  

Objective: This study assessed the validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire used to assess food intake in adolescents in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Seventy adolescents enrolled in public schools aged 11 to 17 years participated in this study. The dietary intake of the adolescents was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire and the mean value of three-day food record, used as the reference method. The mean (and standard deviation) energy and nutrient intakes estimated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire and food records were calculated. The paired Student's t test was used to determine differences between the data. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient and Kappa statistics were used to measure the strength of the association between the two instruments. There was variation in the crude unadjusted (r=0.61-0.73) and deattenuated (r=0.33-0.99) Pearson correlation coefficients. After adjusting for energy, the crude and deattenuated coefficients ranged from r=0.53-0.81 and r=0.27-0.99, respectively. The intake of energy and most nutrients were found to be adequate, except for fiber (r=0.27) and calcium (r=0.33), which showed a weak correlation. Kappa statistics showed good correlation between all values varying from r=0.47 to 0.73. Conclusion: It is considered that an average r value greater than 0.40 indicates a good correlation, the results obtained indicate the good ability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess individuals according to their usual intake of most nutrients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-381
Author(s):  
Papagianni Olga ◽  
Staramou Athanasia ◽  
Rigopoulos Nikolaos ◽  
Dimou Charalampia ◽  
Koutelidakis Antonios

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a food frequency questionnaire is a valid tool for recording and evaluating the frequency of consumption of different functional foods in a sample of the Greek population. Ninety healthy adults aged 18-75 years, not on a specific diet for the past six months and residing in the same location during the past one year were randomly selected to participate in this study. They answered a functional food frequency questionnaire, which included 76 food groups, and filled three consecutive 24-h recalls. The functional food frequency questionnaire was weighted by grams of each food group consumed per day. SPSS-21 program was used for the interpretation of the results. The nonparametric Wilcoxon sign rank test was used to correlate the variables derived from the functional food frequency questionnaire and those derived from the mean of the 24-h recall. The functional food frequency questionnaire was validated at the rate of 80.3%, especially for 61 of 76 functional food subgroups, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two assessment tools, concerning food frequency consumption. These findings showed that the developed functional food frequency questionnaire is a valid tool to investigate the frequency of functional foods consumption in the Greek population.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. NMI.S38374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayumi Yanagisawa ◽  
Noriko Sudo ◽  
Yukiko Amitani ◽  
Yuko Caballero ◽  
Makiko Sekiyama ◽  
...  

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for rural Rwandans. Since our FFQ was developed to assess malnutrition, it measured energy, protein, vitamin A, and iron intakes only. We collected 260 weighed food records (WFRs) from a total of 162 Rwandans. Based on the WFR data, we developed a tentative FFQ and examined the food list by percent contribution to energy and nutrient intakes. To assess the validity, nutrient intakes estimated from the FFQ were compared with those calculated from three-day WFRs by correlation coefficient and cross-classification for 17 adults. Cumulative contributions of the 18-item FFQ to the total intakes of energy and nutrients reached nearly 100%. Crude and energy-adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from -0.09 (vitamin A) to 0.58 (protein) and from -0.19 (vitamin A) to 0.68 (iron), respectively. About 50%-60% of the participants were classified into the same tertile. Our FFQ provided acceptable validity for energy and iron intakes and could rank Rwandan adults in eastern rural area correctly according to their energy and iron intakes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryna Shatenstein ◽  
Sylvie Nadon ◽  
Catherine Godin ◽  
Guylaine Ferland

Regular diet monitoring requires a tool validated in the target population. A 73-item, semiquantitative, self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), was adapted in French and English from the Block National Cancer Institute Health Habits and History Questionnaire. The FFQ was used to capture usual long-term food consumption among adults living in Quebec. A representative sample of adults aged 18 to 82 (57% female) was recruited by random digit dialling in the Montreal region. Approximately 64% of recruits completed and returned the instrument by mail (n=248). The FFQ was validated in a subsample (n=94, 61% female) using four nonconsecutive food records (FRs). Median energy intakes (in kcal) for men and women, respectively, were FFQ (total sample) 2,112 and 1,823, FFQ (subsample) 2,137 and 1,752, and FR (subsample) 2,510 and 1,830. Spearman correlation analyses between FFQ and FR nutrients were positive (with r ranging from 0.32 for folate to 0.58 for saturated fatty acids) and statistically significant (p<0.001), with better results among women. On average, cross-classification of energy and 24 nutrients from the FFQ and means of four FRs placed 39% into identical quartiles and 78% into identical and contiguous quartiles, with only 4% frankly misclassified. These results suggest that the FFQ is a relatively valid instrument for determining usual diet in Quebec adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Neville ◽  
Michelle McKinley ◽  
Frank Kee ◽  
Ian Young ◽  
Chris Cardwell ◽  
...  

AbstractAccurate assessment of dietary intake in older populations is important for determining the role of diet in healthy ageing. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a commonly used dietary assessment tool, however there is limited evidence regarding its utility for accurately assessing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in older adults. The objective of this study was to validate FV intakes estimated from the FFQ used in the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) against a food diary (FD).A dietary validation study was conducted in a sub-sample of 95 participants (45 males, 50 females, aged > 50 years) from NICOLA. Participants were asked to complete a FFQ and 4-day FD (reference method) at two time-points (Month 0 and Month 6). Self-reported FV intakes were compared between methods using Spearman's correlation coefficients, examining the percentage of participants classified into the same or adjacent quartile of FV intake, weighted kappa and Bland-Altman plots.Median fruit, vegetable and total FV intake were significantly higher in the FFQ than the FD at both Month 0 and Month 6 (all p < 0.001). Significant positive correlations (all p < 0.05) were observed between the FFQ and FD estimates of FV intake at both time-points (Month 0, r = 0.57, 0.50 and 0.49 for fruit, vegetables, total FV, respectively; Month 6 r = 0.56, 0.42 and 0.50, respectively). When FV intakes were classified into fourths (based upon quartiles of total FV portions by FD or FFQ), 80 % and 79 % of participants were classified into the same or adjacent quartile at Month 0 and Month 6, respectively. Weighted kappa indicated a fair-moderate agreement between the two methods for FV intake (weighted kappa = 0.35 and 0.37 at Month 0 and Month 6, respectively). Bland-Altman plots showed that, as FV intake increased, there was a widening in limits of agreements, between the FFQ and FD. There was also a significant positive correlation noted between total FV intakes reported at Month 0 and those reported at Month 6 (r = 0.70, p < 0.001).Over-reporting of FV intake was evident with the FFQ compared to the FD, however, the results showed good comparability between the methods in being able to rank older adults according to their FV intake. An additional analysis of FV biomarkers obtained from this sample will provide a more objective assessment of FV intake by each method.


2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 821-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nélida Schmid Fornés ◽  
Maria Luiza Ferreira Stringhini ◽  
Berenice Müller Elias

AbstractObjectives:To assess the reproducibility and validity a 127-item, habitual intake, food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), developed for low-income and low-literacy Brazilian workers, by comparison with a 24-hour dietary recall (24-HDR).Design:The FFQ and 24-HDR were interviewer-administered at the local workplace to each subject twice, with a period of 6 months between estimates; and four 24-HDRs were conducted during the 4-month period between the two FFQs (FFQ1 and FFQ2). Reproducibility was tested by comparing mean nutrient intakes from the two FFQs. Validity was determined by comparing the mean nutrient intakes from the FFQs with the corresponding averages of the six 24-HDRs (reference method).Setting:Goiânia City, in Central West Brazil.Subjects:The study was based on 104 (62 women and 42 men) subjects, aged 18 to 60 years, who were randomly selected.Results:Dietary intake from the FFQ was higher than from the 24-HDR. Reproducibility was assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients for nutrients from FFQ1 and FFQ2, and ranged from 0.23 for retinol to 0.69 for total energy (mean 0.52). Intra-class coefficients for nutrients averaged by the 24-HDRs ranged from 0.29 for vitamin C to 0.76 for total energy; retinol was not significant. In the validation study, correlation between the FFQ and the 24-HDR ranged between 0.21 for vitamin C and 0.70 for total energy (mean 0.50). Adjusting for total energy lowered the coefficients, except for calcium, retinol and vitamin C. Coefficients increased with attenuation, ranging from 0.35 for carbohydrate to 0.65 for calcium.Conclusions:Results indicate that this questionnaire had satisfactory reproducibility and reasonable validity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 691-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica M Rodríguez ◽  
Humberto Méndez ◽  
Benjamín Torún ◽  
Dirk Schroeder ◽  
Aryeh D Stein

AbstractObjective:The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of a 52-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) by comparing it with multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.Design:Three non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and one FFQ were administered over a one-month period.Setting:Four communities of El Progreso, Guatemala.Subjects:Seventy-three individuals aged 22–55 years.Results:Intakes of energy and other nutrients as measured by the FFQ were higher than intakes measured by 24-hour recalls. Energy was overestimated by 361 kcal, and nutrient overestimates were particularly great for vitamin C and iron. Pearson correlation coefficients for crude energy and nutrients intakes ranged from 0.64 for energy to 0.12 for vitamin C. Exact agreement for both methods (measured by the concordance correlation coefficient) ranged from 0.59 (fat) to 0.06 (vitamin C). Pearson correlation coefficients for energy-adjusted nutrients ranged from 0.59 (carbohydrates) to 0.11 (thiamin). Pearson correlation coefficients for the proportion of total energy derived from specific foods ranged from 0.59 (tortillas) to 0.01 (sugared beverages). Cross-classification of quartiles of crude nutrient intakes for both methods indicated that <11% were grossly misclassified; after adjusting for energy intake, <13% were grossly misclassified.Conclusions:This FFQ provides good measures of energy and macronutrient intakes and a reasonably reliable measure of micronutrient intake, indicating its suitability for comparing exposures within a study population in reference to heath-related endpoints. Our results highlight the need to adapt any FFQ to specific cultural needs – in this case, the Guatemalan ‘core foods’ (tortilla, bread and beans), for which inter-individual variability in intake is high.


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