Abstract
Accurate assessments of a target population’s energy intake (EI) are essential to prevent poor nutritional status. However, self-reported dietary records (DRs) or food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are not always accurate, thereby requiring validation and calibration studies. This study aimed to validate the EI estimated by a FFQ using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. Participants were 109 Japanese older adults (50 women and 59 men) aged 65–88 years. The EI was obtained by a DR and 47-item FFQ over 1 year. The total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured by DLW for ~2 weeks. EI was significantly lower than TEE (p < 0.01); ratios of EI assessed by DR and FFQ against TEE were 0.91 ± 0.17 and 0.82 ± 0.22, respectively. TEE was significantly and moderately correlated with the EI estimated by the DR (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) and FFQ (r = 0.37, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the EI correlation coefficients estimated by DR and the FFQ in this study were not significantly different (p = 0.46). The EI/TEE ratio was significantly and negatively correlated with the body mass index (BMI). In conclusion, EI estimated with a DR or FFQ modestly correlated with TEE, and calibrating EI with a developed equation in this study can attenuate the underestimation of EI.
Highlights
Nutritional epidemiological studies are dependent on the accuracy of the habitual dietary survey results they use
To compare the correlation coefficient between the energy intake (EI) estimated by the dietary record (DR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against total energy expenditure (TEE), we investigated whether the participant had an equivalent accuracy using the equation described by Meng et al [40]
If the results presented no significant difference, these relationships were considered to be of equivalent precision in terms of energy intake estimated by DR and FFQ. * Correlation coefficients between two methods: p < 0.05. ** Correlation coefficients between two methods: p < 0.01
Summary
Nutritional epidemiological studies are dependent on the accuracy of the habitual dietary survey results they use. The purpose of a dietary assessment is usually one of the following: (1) to compare. Epidemiological studies usually use food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), dietary records (DRs), or 24-hour dietary recalls (24 HRs) to assess a participant’s dietary habits. FFQs have been widely used in many epidemiological studies because they are easy to administer to more participants with a lower staff burden and cost than DRs or. Actual dietary intake has wide variations, which are dependent on food culture and dietary habits of the target population. FFQs need validation studies to accurately and precisely estimate the dietary intake of the target population for these purposes [3]
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