Reproducibility and validity of food group intake in a short food frequency questionnaire for the middle-aged Japanese population

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for food group intake in Japan, the reproducibility and partial validity of which were previously confirmed for nutrients. Methods A total of 288 middle-aged healthy volunteers from 11 different areas of Japan provided nonconsecutive 3-day weighed dietary records (DRs) at 3-month intervals over four seasons. We evaluated reproducibility based on the first (FFQ1) and second (FFQ2) questionnaires and their validity against the DRs by comparing the intake of 20 food groups. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (SRs) were calculated between energy-adjusted intake from the FFQs and that from the DRs. Results The intake of 20 food groups estimated from the two FFQs was mostly equivalent. The median energy-adjusted SRs between the FFQ1 and FFQ2 were 0.61 (range 0.38–0.86) for men and 0.66 (0.45–0.84) for women. For validity, the median de-attenuated SRs between DRs and the FFQ1 were 0.51 (0.17–0.76) for men and 0.47 (0.23–0.77) for women. Compared with the DRs, the proportion of cross-classification into exact plus adjacent quintiles with the FFQ1 ranged from 58 to 86% in men and from 57 to 86% in women. According to the robust Z scores and the Bland–Altman plot graphs, the underestimation errors in the FFQ1 tended to be greater in individuals with high mean levels of consumption for meat for men and for other vegetables for both men and women. Conclusion The FFQ demonstrated high reproducibility and reasonable validity for food group intake. This questionnaire is short and remains appropriate for identifying associations between diet and health/disease among adults in Japan.

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Validity and reproducibility of the food-frequency questionnaire used in the Shanghai Men's Health Study

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114507669189 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 97 (5) ◽

pp. 993-1000 ◽

Cited By ~ 99

Author(s):

Raquel Villegas ◽

Gong Yang ◽

DaKe Liu ◽

Yong-Bing Xiang ◽

Hui Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Men’S Health ◽

Health Study ◽

Men's Health ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Exact Agreement ◽

Usual Intake

We evaluated the validity and reproducibility of the FFQ used in the Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS). The study included 195 randomly selected participants of the SMHS who completed one FFQ at baseline, twelve 24-hour dietary recalls (24-HDR) (once a month for twelve consecutive months) and a second FFQ at the end of the study. The FFQ accounted for 88·78 % of the foods recorded in the 24-HDR surveys. The validity of the FFQ was evaluated by comparing nutrient and food group intake levels from the second FFQ and the multiple 24-HDR. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0·38 to 0·64 for macronutrients, 0·33 to 0·58 for micronutrients and 0·35 to 0·72 for food groups. Misclassification to opposite quartiles for nutrients and food groups was rare, ranging from 1·5 to 7·7 %, while exact agreement rates were between 31·8 and 53·3 %. The reliability of the FFQ was assessed by comparing the intake levels from the two FFQ. Correlation coefficients were 0·39 to 0·53 for macronutrients, 0·38 to 0·52 for micronutrients and 0·39 to 0·64 for food groups. Exact agreement rates for quartile distribution were between 31·8 and 49·2 %, while misclassification to opposite quartiles was between 1·5 and 6·2 %. These data indicate that the SMHS FFQ can reasonably categorise usual intake of nutrients and food groups among men living in urban Shanghai.

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Validation of the second version of a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire for use in Western Mali

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2002357 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 769-781 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Christine L Parr ◽

Ingrid Barikmo ◽

Liv E Torheim ◽

Fatimata Ouattara ◽

Assitan Kaloga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Intake ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Portion Size ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽

Total Food ◽

Median Proportion ◽

Weighed Record

AbstractObjective:To assess the relative validity of the second version of a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (QFFQ), designed to measure the habitual food and nutrient intake in one season in rural populations in Western Mali, West Africa.Design:The dietary intake during the previous week was assessed with the 164-item QFFQ administered by interview. This was compared with the intake from a 2-day weighed record (WR) with weighed recipes.Setting:The village of Ouassala in the Kayes region, Western Mali.Subjects:Thirty-four women and 36 men aged 15–45 years, from 29 households.Results:The QFFQ gave a lower intake of lunch and dinner and a higher intake of snacks than the WR. The discrepancies were larger for women than for men. The median proportion of subjects classified in the same quartile of intake was 29% for food groups and 36% for energy and nutrients. For classification into extreme opposite quartiles, the median proportion was 6% for food groups and 7% for energy and nutrients. Spearman's rank correlation for energy and nutrients ranged from 0.16 (% energy from protein) to 0.62 (retinol equivalents).Conclusions:The second version of the QFFQ tends to underestimate total food weight. The methods used for estimating food portion size should therefore be applied with caution. The changes made from the first version had little effect. The ability to rank subjects according to dietary intake is similar with both versions. The improved layout of the new QFFQ makes it a more user-friendly tool for comparing dietary intake between population groups and for measuring changes over time.

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Reproducibility and Validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Dietary Assessment in Adolescents in a Self-Reported Way

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12072081 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 2081

Author(s):

Leyre Notario-Barandiaran ◽

Carmen Freire ◽

Manuela García-de-la-Hera ◽

Laura Mª Compañ-Gabucio ◽

Laura Torres-Collado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Male Adolescents

Tools to assess diet in a reliable and efficient way are needed, particularly in children and adolescents. In this study, we assess the reproducibility and validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among adolescents in Spain. We analyzed data of 51 male adolescents aged 15–17 years from a prospective birth cohort study. Participants answered the FFQ twice in a self-administered way over a 12-month period. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing nutrient and food intakes from the FFQs, and validity by comparing nutrient intakes from the average of two FFQs and the average of two 24-Hour Dietary Recalls obtained in the period. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. The average of reproducibility correlation coefficients for food group intakes was 0.33, with the highest correlation for vegetable intake (r = 0.81); and the average for nutrient intake was 0.32, with the highest coefficients for α- and β-carotene (r = 0.65). Validity correlation coefficients ranged from 0.07 for carbohydrates to 0.53 for dietary fiber. The average of the validity correlation coefficients was r = 0.32. This study suggests that our FFQ may be a useful tool for assessing dietary intake of most nutrient and food groups among Spanish male adolescents in a self-administered way, despite reproducibility and, particularly validity, being low for some nutrients and food groups.

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Validation of Energy and Nutrition Intake in Japanese Elderly Individuals Estimated Based on a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire Compared against a 7-day Dietary Record: The Kyoto-Kameoka Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11030688 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 688 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Daiki Watanabe ◽

Hinako Nanri ◽

Tsukasa Yoshida ◽

Miwa Yamaguchi ◽

Mayu Sugita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Nutrient Intake ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Elderly Individuals ◽

Dietary Record ◽

Dietary Records ◽

Japanese Elderly ◽

Energy And Nutrient Intake

To determine the association between geriatric disorders and dietary intake, validation of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for elderly individuals is needed. We compared energy and nutrient intakes derived from dietary records (DR) and FFQ in an elderly population and compared the data against results from middle-aged individuals (30–68 years) from a previous study. Current participants included 65 women and 78 men (65–88 years) who completed FFQ and 7-day DR in a subpopulation of the Kyoto-Kameoka study. Our FFQ was created for middle-aged individuals. To validate the FFQ, we investigated equivalent precision by comparing the correlation coefficients between the present and previous study. Median correlations for energy and nutrient intake between the DR and FFQ in the current and previous studies were 0.24 and 0.30 (p = 0.329) in women and 0.24 and 0.28 (p = 0.399) in men, respectively. The median ratio of FFQ to DR for these intakes were also similar. The accuracy and precision of the FFQ for energy and nutrient intake in elderly individuals did not differ compared with previous findings in a middle-aged population. A validation study evaluating energy and nutrient intake using recovery biomarkers is further needed.

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Comparison of diet measures from a food-frequency questionnaire with measures from repeated 24-hour dietary recalls. The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980007702872 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1094-1103 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Anette Hjartåker ◽

Lene Frost Andersen ◽

Eiliv Lund

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Calibration Coefficient ◽

Food Groups ◽

Added Sugar ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Cancer Study ◽

Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽

Spearman’S Rank Correlation Coefficient ◽

Good For

AbstractObjectiveTo compare diet measures from a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with measures from 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDRs).DesignThe participants answered an FFQ after completing four, repeated 24HDRs during a year.SettingNorway, nationwide.SubjectsOf 500 women randomly selected from The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study (the Norwegian arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), 286 agreed to participate and 238 completed the study.ResultsOn the group level, the FFQ overestimated absolute intake in seven and underestimated intake in six of 21 food groups. Intakes of energy, fat, added sugar and alcohol were lower in the FFQ than in the 24HDRs, whereas intake of fibre was higher. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ranged from 0.13 (desserts) to 0.82 (coffee) for foods, and from 0.25 (β-carotene) to 0.67 (alcohol) for nutrients. Three per cent of the observations on nutrient intake fell in the opposite quintile when classified according to the FFQ as compared with the 24HDR. The median calibration coefficient, calculated by regression of the 24HDR data on the FFQ data, was 0.57 for foods and 0.38 for nutrients.ConclusionsThe FFQ's ability to rank subjects was good for foods eaten frequently and fairly good for macronutrients in terms of energy percentages. Weaker ranking abilities were seen for foods eaten infrequently and for some micronutrients. The results underline the necessity of performing measurement error corrections.

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Development and Validation of Food Frequency Questionnaire for Food and Nutrient Intake of Adults in Butajira, Southern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26794/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ilili Feyesa ◽

Bilal S Endris ◽

Esete Habtemariam ◽

Hamid Y Hassen ◽

Seifu H Gebreyesus

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Vitamin B1 ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Rank Test ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Total Fat

Abstract Background: To date, there is no culture-specific and validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) available in Ethiopia. We developed a FFQ and evaluated its validity as compared to estimates of a food group and nutrient intakes derived from two 24-Hour Dietary Recalls (24-HRs).Method: The FFQ has a total of 89 food items. A total of 105 adults aged 20–65 years participated in this study. Wilcoxon- signed rank test, Spearman’s correlation, Cross-classification, kappa, and Bland-Altman analysis were used to validate food group intakes and nutrients derived from FFQ against two 24-HRs.Results: Mean energy and macronutrient intakes obtained from the FFQ were significantly higher than those obtained from the mean of two 24-HRs. For energy and macronutrients, the correlation between two instruments ranged from 0.05 (total fat) to 0.32 (carbohydrate). Whereas, for micronutrients it ranged from 0.1 (calcium) to 0.49 (vitamin B1). Visual inspection of the Bland-Altman plots for both energy and macronutrients shows no consistent trend across the intake values. For the majority of the food groups, no significant difference was observed in median intake of foods and nutrients between 24-HRs and FFQ. Correlation coefficients for food groups ranged from 0.12 (egg) to 0.78 (legumes). The FFQ showed a fair classification agreement with the 24-HRs for cereals, legumes, and roots and tubers intakes. A systematic trend of overestimation for roots and tubers and under estimation of beverage intakes at higher values was observed when we used FFQ.Conclusion: The FFQ is valid to assess and rank individuals in terms of intakes of most food groups according to high and low intake categories. However, estimates of roots and tuber and beverages should be interpreted with caution.

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Development and simulated validation of a food-frequency questionnaire for the Colombian population

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2004672 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 181-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Leonelo E Bautista ◽

Oscar F Herrán ◽

Jane A Pryer

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽

Average Intake ◽

Total Fat ◽

Using Data

AbstractObjectiveTo develop a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) useful for ranking of nutrient intakes.DesignSubjects consuming their regular diet completed 7 days of weighed intake registry (7-WIR). Foods for the FFQ were selected by stepwise multiple regression. The FFQ was then completed for each subject using data on individual food consumption from the 7-WIR. The correlation and agreement between the extrapolated FFQ and the 7-WIR data were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (rS) and Bland and Altman's limits of agreement (LOA).SettingBucaramanga, Colombia.SubjectsWe studied 97 randomly selected 20–40-year-old subjects.ResultsSixty foods were selected for the FFQ. The 7-WIR and the extrapolated FFQ intake estimates correlated well. rS was 0.58 for energy, 0.53 for carbohydrate, 0.50 for total fat, and 0.48 for protein. For micronutrients, rS varied from 0.46 (manganese) to 0.71 (vitamin B12). FFQ average intake estimates were 83%, 80%, 86.2% and 86.4% of 7-WIR estimates for energy, carbohydrate, total fat and protein, respectively. LOA for these nutrients ranged between 45% and 165%. FFQ micronutrient intakes were on average 96% (median) of those from the 7-WIR, and the median lower and upper LOA were 50% and 203%. However, there was no indication that the degree of agreement varied with the level of intake.ConclusionsAccording to our simulated validation, this FFQ may be useful to rank subjects by nutrient intake. Its validity against standard independent measurements and its applicability to other subsets of the Colombian population should be carefully considered.

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Reproducibility and Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire for Dietary Assessment in Children Aged 7–9 Years in Spain

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11040933 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 933 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jesus Vioque ◽

Manuela Garcia-de-la-Hera ◽

Sandra Gonzalez-Palacios ◽

Laura Torres-Collado ◽

Leyre Notario-Barandiaran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Groups ◽

Average Correlation ◽

Blood Concentrations ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Wide Range ◽

Β Carotene

The purpose of this study was to examine if the short semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a reliable and valid tool to assess the diet of Spanish children aged 7–9 years. We collected data from 156 children of the birth cohort INMA (Infancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood)). Children’s parents or care-givers completed a 46-item FFQ on two occasions over a 9–12-month period about the children’s diet. To explore the reproducibility of the FFQ, the nutrient and food group intake collected from the both FFQs were compared, while validity was examined by contrasting the nutrient values from the FFQs and the average of three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hDRs) taken in this period, and also with the concentration of several vitamins in the blood (carotenoids, vitamin D and α-tocopherol). Pearson and de-attenuated correlation coefficients were calculated. The average correlation coefficients for nutrient intake’s reproducibility was 0.41, ranging from 0.25 (calcium) to 0.65 (β-carotene), and for food group intake was 0.45, ranging from 0.18 (cereals) to 0.68 (sweetened beverages). Correlation coefficients slightly improved when we compared energy-adjusted intakes. The average correlation coefficients for validity against 24hDRs was 0.34 for energy-adjusted intakes, and 0.39 when de-attenuation coefficients were used. The validity coefficients against the blood concentrations of vitamins were 0.38 for β-cryptoxanthin, 0.26 for lycopene, 0,23 for α-carotene and 0.15 for β-carotene, all of them statistically significant (p < 0.05). This study suggests that our brief FFQ is a suitable tool for the dietary assessment of a wide range of nutrients and food groups in children 7–9 years, despite the low to moderate reproducibility and validity observed for some nutrients.

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Development and Validation of Food Frequency Questionnaire for Food and Nutrient Intake of Adults in Butajira, Southern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26794/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ilili Feyesa ◽

Bilal S Endris ◽

Esete Habtemariam ◽

Hamid Y Hassen ◽

Seifu H Gebreyesus

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Vitamin B1 ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Rank Test ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Total Fat

Abstract Background: To date, there is no culture-specific and validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) available in Ethiopia. We developed a FFQ and evaluated its validity as compared to estimates of a food group and nutrient intakes derived from two 24-Hour Dietary Recalls (24-HRs).Method: The FFQ has a total of 89 food items. A total of 105 adults aged 20 to 65 years participated in this study. Wilcoxon- signed rank test, Spearman’s correlation, Cross-classification, kappa, and Bland-Altman analysis were used to validate food group intakes and nutrients derived from the FFQ against two 24-HRs.Results: Mean energy and macronutrient intakes obtained from the FFQ were significantly higher than those obtained from the mean of two 24-HRs. For energy and macronutrients, the correlation between two instruments ranged from 0.05 (total fat) to 0.32 (carbohydrate). Whereas, for micronutrients, it ranged from 0.1 (calcium) to 0.49 (vitamin B1). Visual inspection of the Bland-Altman plots for both energy and macronutrients shows no consistent trend across the intake values. For the majority of the food groups, no significant difference was observed in median intake of foods and nutrients between 24-HRs and the FFQ. The correlation coefficients for food groups ranged from 0.12 (egg) to 0.78 (legumes). The FFQ showed a fair classification agreement with the 24-HRs for cereals, legumes, and roots and tubers intake. A systematic trend of overestimation for roots and tubers and under estimation of beverage intakes at higher values was observed when we used FFQ.Conclusion: The FFQ is valid to assess and rank individuals in terms of intakes of most food groups according to high and low intake categories. However, estimates of roots and tuber and beverages 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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