AbstractObjectiveTo validate an eighty-nine-item semi-quantitative FFQ for measurement of nutrient intakes in elderly women.DesignFFQ and 3 d food records were filled in by women participating in the Kuopio Fracture Prevention Study (OSTPRE-FPS). Data on intakes of energy, fat, protein, carbohydrate, fibre, Ca, Fe, P, K, Mg, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin K from ninety-nine women were available to assess the agreement of the two methods. Validity was assessed using correlation coefficients, cross-classification into quintile categories and Bland–Altman plots. Nutrients relevant to bone health were assessed.SettingOSTPRE-FPS in Finland.SubjectsElderly women with a mean age 71·3 years.ResultsThe FFQ overestimated energy and nutrient intakes as compared with food records by 30–50 %. The highest correlation coefficients of the energy-adjusted nutrient intakes between the methods were observed for fibre (0·60), Mg (0·56) and folic acid (0·49) and the lowest for protein and vitamin D (both 0·19). The cross-classification of energy-adjusted nutrient intakes showed that on average 68 % of the participants (range 62–78 %) were classified into the same or an adjacent quintile category.ConclusionsThe validity of energy and nutrient intakes measured with the FFQ was moderate as compared with 3 d food records in elderly women. The FFQ is a useful tool for the nutrient assessment of elderly women in epidemiological research.