Abstract
ObjectiveTo evaluate the validity (study 1) and the reproducibility (study 2) of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).MethodThe FFQ was designed at Laval University and contains 91 items and 33 subquestions. Study 1: The FFQ was compared against a 3-day food record (2 week-days and 1 weekend-day), at week 0, 6 and 12 of a nutritional intervention. Study 2: In order to evaluate the reproducibility of the FFQ, 2 registered dietitians administered the FFQ 4-weeks apart among subjects who were not part of the nutritional intervention.ResultsStudy 1: Mean values for intake of most nutrients assessed by the FFQ and by the 3-day food record were not statistically different. Energy-adjusted correlation coefficients for major macronutrients ranged from 0.36 for proteins to 0.60 for carbohydrates (p ≤ 0.01). Agreement analysis revealed that on average, 35% of the subjects were classified in the same quartile when nutrients were assessed by either the 3-day food record or the FFQ. Study 2: Significant associations were observed between dietary measurements derived from the two FFQs administered 4 weeks apart. Correlation coefficients for the reproducibility of macronutrients ranged from 0.66 for carbohydrates to 0.83 for lipids after energy adjustment. On average, 46% of the subjects were classified in the same quartile when nutrient intakes were assessed by either FFQ.ConclusionThese data indicated that the FFQ developed has a good validity and is reproducible.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence that nutrients may be important in the development of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes
Total energy intake measured by the food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) was not different from the intake assessed by the 3-day food record at week 0 of the dietary intervention (Table 1)
For FFQ and the 3-day food record respectively, 34% (n = 24) and 38% (n = 27) of subjects had at baseline a ratio between energy intake and estimated basal metabolic rate at or below 1.35
Summary
There is increasing evidence that nutrients may be important in the development of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes. FFQ has become a common way to estimate usual food intake because it usually requires less than thirty minutes to complete [6]. It imposes less burden on subjects than most of the other dietary assessment methods. Specific FFQs must be validated to assess nutritional habits conducted in geographically and/or culturally distinct regions [6]. It is important in nutritional intervention to consider the sensitivity of the method over the duration of a study, especially in study that is testing the effects of dietary changes [7]
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