Development and validation of a short culture-specific food frequency questionnaire for Greek pregnant women and their adherence to the Mediterranean diet

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the validity of a short, culture-specific, semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for Greek dietary habits and among a population of pregnant women, and to assess the adherence of reported nutritional habits to the Mediterranean diet. MethodsThe validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing FFQ-derived nutrient intakes against the average of two 24-h dietary recalls of 70 pregnant women. We used appropriate statistical methods to examine the nutrient correlation and level of agreement between the two figures (Pearson or Spearman correlation and Bland–Altman test, respectively). Calculation of the Mediterranean Diet Score was performed to evaluate participants’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet. ResultsStatistically significant positive correlations, of medium strength, were observed for almost all macronutrient groups (ρs ranging from 0.326 to 0.538). Dietary fiber intake was the only nutrient where a weak correlation was identified (ρ = −0.106; P > 0.05). Mean intakes, derived from the FFQ, agreed with results from the 24-h recalls based on Bland–Altman analysis, with the agreement ranging between 94.3% and 98.6% for the macronutrient groups under examination. The calculation of the Mediterranean Diet Score revealed that Greek pregnant women's habits are in accordance with the principles of the Mediterranean diet. ConclusionsThe developed FFQ is a valid tool that could provide reliable nutrient intake assessment in studies monitoring dietary habits of pregnant women, a group where nutritional monitoring is essential but to date remains limited.