Abstract
BackgroundThe assessment of food intake is challenging and prone to errors; it is therefore important to consider the reliability and validity of the assessment methods.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the reproducibility and validity of a developed food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use among adolescents.DesignIn total, 58 students (aged 13–14) from four different schools in the southern part of Norway participated in the reproducibility study of filling out the FFQ 4 weeks apart. In addition, 93 students participated in the relative validity study where the FFQ was compared to 2×24-hour dietary recalls, while 92 students participated in the absolute validity study where the intakes of fatty acids and vitamin D from the FFQ were compared to fatty acids and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 in whole blood.ResultsThe median Spearman correlation coefficient for all nutrients in the test–retest reliability study was 0.57. The median Spearman correlation for all nutrients in the relative validity study was 0.26, while the correlations coefficients were low in the absolute validity study with n-3 fatty acid coefficients ranging from 0.05 to 0.25, and absent for vitamin D (r=0.000).ConclusionThe test–retest reproducibility was considered good, the relative validity was considered poor to good, and the absolute validity was considered poor. However, the results are comparable to other studies among adolescents.
Highlights
The assessment of food intake is challenging and prone to errors; it is important to consider the reliability and validity of the assessment methods
TestÁretest reliability There were 58 students who participated in the reliability study, 22 boys and 36 girls
TestÁretest reliability The general testÁretest reliability of the questionnaire was good with median correlations of 0.53 for nutrients and 0.52 for food groups, which fell within the range considered good for an Food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) [12, 16]
Summary
The assessment of food intake is challenging and prone to errors; it is important to consider the reliability and validity of the assessment methods. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the reproducibility and validity of a developed food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use among adolescents. Results: The median Spearman correlation coefficient for all nutrients in the testÁretest reliability study was 0.57. The median Spearman correlation for all nutrients in the relative validity study was 0.26, while the correlations coefficients were low in the absolute validity study with n-3 fatty acid coefficients ranging from 0.05 to 0.25, and absent for vitamin D (r 00.000). Conclusion: The testÁretest reproducibility was considered good, the relative validity was considered poor to good, and the absolute validity was considered poor. The results are comparable to other studies among adolescents
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