DEVELOPMENT OF AN AGE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FOOD ALLERGENS

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Well-designed and implemented food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) can provide useful measures of food, nutrient, food allergen, and diet diversity intake. However, current validated diet screening assessment tools are limited in their ability to accurately measure food allergen intake in early childhood eating patterns. Therefore, our group aimed to develop and validate an age-appropriate, culturally relevant, and user-friendly FFQ to measure food allergen intake. <h3>Methods</h3> Over 18-months, a group of international dietitians, food allergy experts, epidemiologists, and pediatricians collaborated with Vioscreen to revise an existing FFQ to make the questionnaire more relevant to infants and toddlers, as well as assess intake of food allergens. This tool could be parent-administered online and facilitate user-friendly reporting of food allergen intake including type of food, frequency of consumption, and quantity consumed. <h3>Results</h3> The allergen-focused Vioscreen questionnaire assess >300 food options. Through branching and skip logic, families only review food options relevant to their diet—greatly reducing participant burden compared with other FFQs. Information on overall diet, breast and formula feeding, and allergenic foods are obtained in age-appropriate portion sizes. The FFQ was adapted to offer preferred cultural foods with a section on "early introduction foods." Data can be incorporated into REDCap, a secure data collection tool, alongside other participant data. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Our team developed an innovative self- or parent-administered FFQ that assesses real-time intake of foods including potential allergens during early childhood. This tool can be used by the food allergy research community to advance understanding about the impact of nutrition on food allergy management and outcomes.