Development of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for use in United Arab Emirates and Kuwait based on local foods

Mahshid Dehghan,Afzalhussein Yusufali,Salim Yusuf,Anwar T Merchant,Fathimunissa Nusrath,Nawal Al Hamad

doi:10.1186/1475-2891-4-18

Abstract

BackgroundThe Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is one of the most commonly used tools in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of a culture specific FFQ for Arab populations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.MethodsWe interviewed samples of Arab populations over 18 years old in UAE and Kuwait assessing their dietary intakes using 24-hour dietary recall. Based on the most commonly reported foods and portion sizes, we constructed a food list with the units of measurement. The food list was converted to a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ) format following the basic pattern of SFFQ using usual reported portions. The long SFFQ was field-tested, shortened and developed into the final SFFQ.To estimate nutrients from mixed dishes we collected recipes of those mixed dishes that were commonly eaten, and estimated their nutritional content by using nutrient values of the ingredients that took into account method of preparation from the US Department of Agriculture's Food Composition Database.ResultsThe SFFQs consist of 153 and 152 items for UAE and Kuwait, respectively. The participants reported average intakes over the past year. On average the participants reported eating 3.4 servings/d of fruits and 3.1 servings/d of vegetables in UAE versus 2.8 servings/d of fruits and 3.2 servings/d of vegetables in Kuwait. Participants reported eating cereals 4.8 times/d in UAE and 5.3 times/d in Kuwait. The mean intake of dairy products was 2.2/d in UAE and 3.4 among Kuwaiti.ConclusionWe have developed SFFQs to measure diet in UAE and Kuwait that will serve the needs of public health researchers and clinicians and are currently validating those instruments.

Highlights

The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is one of the most commonly used tools in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure
We have developed Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ) to measure diet in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait that will serve the needs of public health researchers and clinicians and are currently validating those instruments
Development of the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire To develop the SFFQ we went through the following steps: construction of a food list, definition of portion sizes, and assignment of frequency of consumption, pilot test of long-FFQ and assembling the selected food list into SFFQ

Summary

Introduction

The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is one of the most commonly used tools in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of a culture specific FFQ for Arab populations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait. The residents of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region have become more sedentary and have dramatically changed their diet over the last two decades. They consume more fat, meat, sugar, rice and wheat flour than before [1,2,3,4]. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is the most commonly used method to assess diet in relation to chronic disease [5]. Based on a complete search of the literature (using Medline medical subject heading and text words) and personal communication with nutritionists in United Arab Emirates and Kuwait Universities, we decided to develop a SFFQ and accompanying food composition database for UAE and Kuwait

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