Abstract
Introduction: The Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (FCFQ) is a tool for assessing food consumption. However, to be used in pregnant women, it must be submitted to validation. The food consumption of pregnant women can impact on maternal and child health, becoming a public health issue. The questionnaire applied during pregnancy can create parameters for better prenatal care.
 Objective: To validate a FCFQ for pregnant women attended at primary health care units.
 Methods: The Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire and two 24-hour recall were applied to 155 pregnant women from the municipality of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The questionnaire results were contrasted with the average of the two 24- hour recall using the chi-square test. The mean of the differences were estimated by limits of agreement. Pearson's correlation test and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient as well were used. Food consumption medians and quartiles were calculated.
 Results: The value of estimate energy consumption and most nutrients was higher by the questionnaire. The concordance between the methods in the classification in quartiles of consumption was variable, being similar for 26.11% and opposite for 12.1%. After adjusting for energy, the correlation coefficient ranged from -0.144 (carbohydrate) to 0.337 (potassium). The questionnaire estimated values were approximately 1.94 higher than the 24 hour recall, corresponding to 20% higher for almost all nutrients.
 Conclusion: The FCFQ showed to be a good instrument to be considered clinically as well as for research purposes in Brazilian pregnant women, this tool measures appropriately food intake which is fundamental for establishing health conditions during pregnancy, helping to assess the association between diet, nutrition and health..
Highlights
The Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (FCFQ) is a tool for assessing food consumption
The Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire and two 24-hour recall were applied to 155 pregnant women from the municipality of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The value of estimate energy consumption and most nutrients was higher by the questionnaire
Summary
The Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (FCFQ) is a tool for assessing food consumption. The questionnaire applied during pregnancy can create parameters for better prenatal care. Decision making in the context of prenatal nutrition and definitions of actions to promote healthy eating for pregnant women should, be based on reliable information about their eating habits. Specific nutritional assessment instruments for this group should be sought[2,3]. The food consumption frequency questionnaire (FCFQ) is the most widely used method to estimate food intake. The FCFQ was considered a valid and reliable instrument to assess nutrient or food intake during pregnancy[2,6,7,8,9]. The FCFQ must be adjusted and validated for use in the specific population where it will be applied, since the items that compose it need to consider ethnicity, customs, dietary taboos, food availability and socioeconomic conditions[4,5]
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