Reproducibility and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire for use among low-income Brazilian workers

AbstractObjectives:To assess the reproducibility and validity a 127-item, habitual intake, food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), developed for low-income and low-literacy Brazilian workers, by comparison with a 24-hour dietary recall (24-HDR).Design:The FFQ and 24-HDR were interviewer-administered at the local workplace to each subject twice, with a period of 6 months between estimates; and four 24-HDRs were conducted during the 4-month period between the two FFQs (FFQ1 and FFQ2). Reproducibility was tested by comparing mean nutrient intakes from the two FFQs. Validity was determined by comparing the mean nutrient intakes from the FFQs with the corresponding averages of the six 24-HDRs (reference method).Setting:Goiânia City, in Central West Brazil.Subjects:The study was based on 104 (62 women and 42 men) subjects, aged 18 to 60 years, who were randomly selected.Results:Dietary intake from the FFQ was higher than from the 24-HDR. Reproducibility was assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients for nutrients from FFQ1 and FFQ2, and ranged from 0.23 for retinol to 0.69 for total energy (mean 0.52). Intra-class coefficients for nutrients averaged by the 24-HDRs ranged from 0.29 for vitamin C to 0.76 for total energy; retinol was not significant. In the validation study, correlation between the FFQ and the 24-HDR ranged between 0.21 for vitamin C and 0.70 for total energy (mean 0.50). Adjusting for total energy lowered the coefficients, except for calcium, retinol and vitamin C. Coefficients increased with attenuation, ranging from 0.35 for carbohydrate to 0.65 for calcium.Conclusions:Results indicate that this questionnaire had satisfactory reproducibility and reasonable validity.

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Assessing the validity of a food frequency questionnaire among low-income women in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2010001100007 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 2059-2067 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Marly Augusto Cardoso ◽

Luciana Yuki Tomita ◽

Elaine Cristina Laguna

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

São Paulo ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Low Income Women

This study describes the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 93 low-income women (20-65 years), participating in a case-control study in São Paulo, Brazil. Two FFQ (FFQ1 and FFQ2, 12 months apart) and three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hR) were conducted between 2003 and 2004 to estimate dietary intake during the past year. The Pearson correlation coefficients (crude, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated) were used for comparisons between FFQ and 24hR. The agreement between the methods was further examined by the Bland-Altman analysis. For the assessment of long-term reliability, the energy-adjusted intra-class correlation coefficients were mostly around 0.40, but higher for vitamin A and folate (0.50-0.56). Energy-adjusted, attenuation-corrected Pearson validity correlations between FFQ and DR ranged from 0.30-0.54 for macronutrients to 0.20-0.48 for micronutrients, with higher value for calcium (0.75). There were small proportions of grossly misclassified nutrient intakes, while Bland-Altman plots indicated that the FFQ is accurate in assessing nutrient intake at a group level.

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Validation of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire for use among adults in Guatemala

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2002333 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 691-698 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Monica M Rodríguez ◽

Humberto Méndez ◽

Benjamín Torún ◽

Dirk Schroeder ◽

Aryeh D Stein

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Micronutrient Intake ◽

Study Population ◽

Cross Classification

AbstractObjective:The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of a 52-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) by comparing it with multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.Design:Three non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and one FFQ were administered over a one-month period.Setting:Four communities of El Progreso, Guatemala.Subjects:Seventy-three individuals aged 22–55 years.Results:Intakes of energy and other nutrients as measured by the FFQ were higher than intakes measured by 24-hour recalls. Energy was overestimated by 361 kcal, and nutrient overestimates were particularly great for vitamin C and iron. Pearson correlation coefficients for crude energy and nutrients intakes ranged from 0.64 for energy to 0.12 for vitamin C. Exact agreement for both methods (measured by the concordance correlation coefficient) ranged from 0.59 (fat) to 0.06 (vitamin C). Pearson correlation coefficients for energy-adjusted nutrients ranged from 0.59 (carbohydrates) to 0.11 (thiamin). Pearson correlation coefficients for the proportion of total energy derived from specific foods ranged from 0.59 (tortillas) to 0.01 (sugared beverages). Cross-classification of quartiles of crude nutrient intakes for both methods indicated that <11% were grossly misclassified; after adjusting for energy intake, <13% were grossly misclassified.Conclusions:This FFQ provides good measures of energy and macronutrient intakes and a reasonably reliable measure of micronutrient intake, indicating its suitability for comparing exposures within a study population in reference to heath-related endpoints. Our results highlight the need to adapt any FFQ to specific cultural needs – in this case, the Guatemalan ‘core foods’ (tortilla, bread and beans), for which inter-individual variability in intake is high.

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Validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative multiple-choice food frequency questionnaire in adults living in central Iran

10.21203/rs.3.rs-15529/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alireza Zimorovat ◽

Fatemeh Moghtaderi ◽

Mojgan Amiri ◽

Hamidreza Raeisi-Dehkordi ◽

Matin Mohyadini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Multiple Choice ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Central Iran ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Calcium Magnesium

Abstract Background: To the best of our knowledge, no study has tried to develop and validate a multiple-choice food-based FFQ in Iran using weighed dietary records.This study aimed to investigate the validity and reproducibility of a multiple-choice semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) in adults living in central Iran.Methods: Participants attended a large long-term clinical trial were asked to complete three SQ-FFQs by interview, and nine 3-day weighed dietary records (WDRs), over nine months. They provided two blood samples to assess serum calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C levels. The Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess reproducibility and validity. The degree of misclassification was explored by using a contingency table of quartiles which is compare the information between third FFQ and WDRs. The method of triads was incorporated to assess validity coefficients between estimated intakes using third FFQ, WDRs, and biochemical markers and assumed true intakes.Results: A total of 180 adults aged 48.9±8.4 years completed the study. Compared to WDRs, FFQs overestimated all nutrients intakes except for iron. The median Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.31, 0.44, and 0.38 for FFQ1-FFQ2, FFQ1-FFQ3 and FFQ2-FFQ3, respectively and ICC ranged from 0.43 (thiamin) to 0.73 (vitamin D, median: 0.56). The de-attenuated, age, sex, and education adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from 0.01 for vitamin A to 0.40 for vitamin B12 and -0.05 for vitamin A to 0.41 for manganese (median: 0.17 and 0.26) for FFQ1-WDR and FFQ3-WDR, respectively. The median exact agreement and complete disagreement between FFQ3 and WDRs were 33% and 6%, respectively. The FFQ3 validity coefficients for vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc were 0.13, 0.62, 0.89, and 0.66, respectively, using the triads method.Conclusions: The SQ-FFQ seems to be an acceptable tool to assess the long-term dietary intake for future large-scale studies in this population.

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Reliability and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire for Chinese postmenopausal women

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2003510 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 91-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Liangzhi Xu ◽

Michael J Dibley ◽

Catherine D'Este

Keyword(s):

Postmenopausal Women ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Volume Estimation ◽

University Hospital ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Food Frequency

AbstractObjectives:(1) To determine the reliability and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use in epidemiological research in postmenopausal women; and (2) to compare the volume estimation (VE) and weight estimation (WE) method of administration of this questionnaire.Design:An initial list of foods was derived and modified after pre-testing in 22 subjects. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 21 subjects who had repeat administrations of the questionnaire 14 days apart (FFQ1, FFQ2). The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing nutrient intakes with those from a 4-day food record.Setting:Chengdu, People's Republic of China.Subjects:Twenty-two postmenopausal women (50–70 years) were recruited from The Second University Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu and participated in the pre-test. Another 21 women (50–70 years) were randomly selected from the general population of all five districts of Chengdu and participated in the reliability and validity sub-studies.Results:Energy, protein, carbohydrate, magnesium and sodium intakes in this sample were less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for 45–70-year-old women in China. Intake of non-cooking fat was higher than the Chinese RDA. Pearson correlation coefficients and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability of the VE FFQ ranged from 0.51 to 0.85 and from 0.51 to 0.81, respectively; for the WE FFQ, they ranged from 0.22 to 0.86 and from 0.21 to 0.81. Correlation coefficients and ICCs for validity of the WE FFQ ranged from 0.36 to 0.69 and from 0.34 to 0.57, respectively; corresponding values for the VE FFQ were −0.30 to 0.65 and −0.14 to 0.65.Conclusions:Both the VE and WE FFQs were reliable and valid except for sodium intake. The VE FFQ provided more valid estimates of nutrient intakes than did the WE FFQ.

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Validity and Reproducibility of a Semi-quantitative Multiple-choice Food Frequency Questionnaire in Adults Living in Central Iran

10.21203/rs.3.rs-29619/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alireza Zimorovat ◽

Fatemeh Moghtaderi ◽

Mojgan Amiri ◽

Hamidreza Raeisi-Dehkordi ◽

Matin Mohyadini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Multiple Choice ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Central Iran ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Calcium Magnesium

Abstract Background: To the best of our knowledge, no study has tried to develop and validate a multiple-choice food-based FFQ in Iran using weighed dietary records.This study aimed to investigate the validity and reproducibility of a multiple-choice semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ)in adults living in central Iran.Methods: Participants attended a large long-term clinical trial were asked to complete three SQ-FFQs by interview, and nine 3-day weighed dietary records (WDRs), over nine months.They provided two blood samples to assess serum calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C levels.The Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess reproducibility and validity. The degree of misclassification was explored by using a contingency table of quartiles which is compare the information between third FFQ and WDRs. The method of triads was incorporated to assess validity coefficients between estimated intakes using third FFQ, WDRs, and biochemical markers and assumed true intakes.Results: A total of180 adults aged 48.9±8.4 years completed the study. Compared to WDRs, FFQs overestimated all nutrients intakes except for iron. The median Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.31, 0.44, and 0.38 for FFQ1-FFQ2, FFQ1-FFQ3 and FFQ2-FFQ3, respectively andICC ranged from 0.43 (thiamin) to 0.73 (vitamin D, median: 0.56). The de-attenuated, age, sex, and education adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from 0.01 for vitamin A to 0.40 for vitamin B12 and -0.05 for vitamin A to 0.41 for manganese (median: 0.17 and 0.26) for FFQ1-WDR and FFQ3-WDR, respectively.The medianexact agreement and complete disagreement between FFQ3 and WDRs were 33% and 6%, respectively.The FFQ3validity coefficientsfor vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc were 0.13, 0.62, 0.89, and 0.66, respectively, using the triads method.Conclusions: The SQ-FFQseems to be an acceptable tool to assess the long-term dietary intake for future large-scale studies in this population.

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Development and Validation of a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Dietary Intake in 40–65-Year-Old Mexican Women

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1159/000506920 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 73-82

Author(s):

Alexandra Tijerina ◽

Josep A. Tur

Keyword(s):

Pearson Correlation ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Reference Method ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Test Method ◽

Mexican Women ◽

Food Groups ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Food Frequency

Background and Aims: Food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) have been widely used in epidemiologic studies since 1990s, but instruments need to be validated. The aim of this work was to create and assess the validity and reproducibility of an interview administered FFQ to be used in a Mexican women’s bone health cohort study, located in Monterrey city, Mexico. Methods: Validation of FFQ formed by 11 food groups and 136 food and beverage items was performed on 40–65-year-old Mexican women (n = 200) by applying 2 FFQ (test method) and six 24-h dietary recalls (24hR, reference method; 1 per season on weekdays and 2 on weekends). Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated of both logs, transformed intakes and energy-adjusted nutrient intakes based on the residual method, and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: The relative validity of FFQ against the average of six 24hR for intakes of energy, macronutrients, cholesterol, water, vitamins and minerals required for bone metabolism such as vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus were obtained. Pearson coefficients of correlation show significance (p < 0.05) for the validity, 0.244–0.820 and 0.258–0.794, for energy-unadjusted and adjusted data, respectively. Reproducibility coefficients range 0.186–0.810 for energy-unadjusted data and 0.174–0.597 for energy-adjusted data. Most nutrients showed lower than 5% of misclassification. Conclusion: The designed 136-item FFQ shows acceptable validity and reproducibility, and it is useful to be applied on 40–65-year-old Mexican women for the estimation of nutrient intakes in epidemiological studies.

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Validation of a food frequency questionnaire designed for adolescents in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/1678-98652016000200002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 163-171 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jean Márcia Oliveira MASCARENHAS ◽

Rita de Cássia Ribeiro SILVA ◽

Maria Ester Pereira Conceição MACHADO ◽

Carlos Antonio de Souza Teles SANTOS ◽

Dirce Maria Lobo MARCHIONI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Reference Method ◽

Kappa Statistics ◽

Food Record ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Good Ability ◽

The Mean

Objective: This study assessed the validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire used to assess food intake in adolescents in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Seventy adolescents enrolled in public schools aged 11 to 17 years participated in this study. The dietary intake of the adolescents was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire and the mean value of three-day food record, used as the reference method. The mean (and standard deviation) energy and nutrient intakes estimated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire and food records were calculated. The paired Student's t test was used to determine differences between the data. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient and Kappa statistics were used to measure the strength of the association between the two instruments. There was variation in the crude unadjusted (r=0.61-0.73) and deattenuated (r=0.33-0.99) Pearson correlation coefficients. After adjusting for energy, the crude and deattenuated coefficients ranged from r=0.53-0.81 and r=0.27-0.99, respectively. The intake of energy and most nutrients were found to be adequate, except for fiber (r=0.27) and calcium (r=0.33), which showed a weak correlation. Kappa statistics showed good correlation between all values varying from r=0.47 to 0.73. Conclusion: It is considered that an average r value greater than 0.40 indicates a good correlation, the results obtained indicate the good ability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess individuals according to their usual intake of most nutrients.

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Development and Relative Validity of a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Estimate Dietary Intake among a Multi-Ethnic Population in the Malaysian Cohort Project

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041163 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1163

Author(s):

Suzana Shahar ◽

Mohd Razif Shahril ◽

Noraidatulakma Abdullah ◽

Boekhtiar Borhanuddin ◽

Mohd Arman Kamaruddin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Weighted Kappa ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Spearman’S Correlation

Measuring dietary intakes in a multi-ethnic and multicultural setting, such as Malaysia, remains a challenge due to its diversity. This study aims to develop and evaluate the relative validity of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in assessing the habitual dietary exposure of The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants. We developed a nutrient database (with 203 items) based on various food consumption tables, and 803 participants were involved in this study. The output of the FFQ was then validated against three-day 24-h dietary recalls (n = 64). We assessed the relative validity and its agreement using various methods, such as Spearman’s correlation, weighed Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland–Altman analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient ranged from 0.24 (vitamin C) to 0.46 (carbohydrate), and almost all nutrients had correlation coefficients above 0.3, except for vitamin C and sodium. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from −0.01 (calcium) to 0.59 (carbohydrates), and weighted Kappa exceeded 0.4 for 50% of nutrients. In short, TMC’s FFQ appears to have good relative validity for the assessment of nutrient intake among its participants, as compared to the three-day 24-h dietary recalls. However, estimates for iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C should be interpreted with caution.

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Comparison of a picture-sort food-frequency questionnaire with 24-hour dietary recalls in an elderly Utah population

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2001131 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 961-970 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Heidi J Wengreen ◽

Ronald G Munger ◽

Siew Sun Wong ◽

Nancy A West ◽

Richard Cutler

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Impaired Hearing ◽

Low Literacy ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Memory Skill

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the 137-item Utah Picture-sort Food-frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) in the measurement of usual dietary intake in older adults.Design:The picture-sort FFQ was administered at baseline and again one year later. Three seasonal 24-hour dietary recall interviews were collected during the year between the two FFQs. Mean nutrient intakes were compared between methods and between administrations of the FFQ.Setting:The FFQ interviews were administered in respondents' homes or care-centres. The 24-hour diet recalls were conducted by telephone interview on random days of the week.Subjects:Two-hundred-and-eight men and women aged 55–84 years were recruited by random sample of controls from a case–control study of nutrition and bone health in Utah.Results:After adjustment for total energy intake, median Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the two picture-sort FFQs were 0.69 for men aged ≤69 years, 0.66 for men aged >69 years; and 0.68 for women aged ≤69 years, 0.67 for women aged >69 years. Median correlation coefficients between methods were 0.50 for men ≤69 years old, 0.52 for men >69 years old; 0.55 for women ≤69 years old, 0.46 for women >69 years old.Conclusions:We report intake correlations between methods and administrations comparable to those reported in the literature for traditional paper-and-pencil FFQs and one other picture-sort method of FFQ. This dietary assessment method may improve ease and accuracy of response in this and other populations with low literacy levels, poor memory skill, impaired hearing, or poor vision.

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Validation of a food-frequency questionnaire for cohort studies in rural Japan

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2002411 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 147-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Keiko Ogawa ◽

Yoshitaka Tsubono ◽

Yoshikazu Nishino ◽

Yoko Watanabe ◽

Takayoshi Ohkubo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Studies ◽

Total Energy ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Groups ◽

Daily Consumption ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Food Items ◽

Miyagi Prefecture

AbstractObjectives:To examine the validity and reproducibility of a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used for two cohort studies in Japan.Design:Cross-sectional study.Setting:Two rural towns in the Miyagi Prefecture, in north-eastern Japan.Subjects:Fifty-five men and 58 women.Results:A 40-item FFQ was administered twice, 1 year apart. In the mean time, four 3-day diet records (DRs) were collected in four seasons within the year. We calculated daily consumption of total energy and 15 nutrients, 40 food items and nine food groups from the FFQs and the DRs. We computed Spearman correlation coefficients between the FFQs and the DRs. With adjustment for age, total energy and deattenuation for measurement error with the DRs, the correlation coefficients for nutrient intakes ranged from 0.25 to 0.58 in men and from 0.30 to 0.69 in women, with median of 0.43 and 0.43, respectively. Median (range) of the correlation coefficients was 0.35 (−0.30 to 0.72) in men and 0.34 (−0.06 to 0.75) in women for food items and 0.60 (−0.10 to 0.76) and 0.51 (0.28–0.70) for food groups, respectively. Median (range) of the correlation coefficients for the two FFQs administered 1 year apart was 0.49 (0.31–0.71) in men and 0.50 (0.40–0.64) in women for nutrients, 0.43 (0.14–0.76) and 0.45 (0.06–0.74) respectively for food items, and 0.50 (0.30–0.70) and 0.57 (0.39–0.66) respectively for food groups. Relatively higher agreement percentages for intakes of nutrients and food groups with high validity were obtained together with lower complete disagreement percentages.Conclusions:The FFQ has a high reproducibility and a reasonably good validity, and is useful in assessing the usual intakes of nutrients, foods and food groups among a rural Japanese population.

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