scholarly journals Validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess the consumption of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables among adolescents: the method of triads

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2090-2100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betzabeth Slater ◽  
Carla Cristina Enes ◽  
Rossana Verónica Mendoza López ◽  
Nágila Raquel Teixeira Damasceno ◽  
Silvia Maria Voci

The aim of this study was to validate the intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables estimated by the Food Frequency Questionnaire for Adolescents (FFQA) using the method of triads. Blood samples were collected from 80 elementary school adolescents to assess serum levels of β-carotene. Partial correlation coefficients (r) were calculated between an estimated intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables and the serum levels of β-carotene. Validity coefficients were calculated using the method of triads. With the exception of carotenoids, partial r from the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were greater than those of the 24-hour recall (24hR). The fruit/vegetable group showed the highest partial r for the FFQ (r = 0.235) and the 24hR (r = 0.137). The highest validity coefficient was obtained for the vegetable group, as assessed by the FFQ (r = 0.873). On average, the validity coefficient values for the FFQ were greater than those obtained for the 24hR or the β-carotene serum levels. The FFQA is an accurate tool for estimating the intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables in this population group.

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Leyre Notario-Barandiaran ◽  
Eva-María Navarrete-Muñoz ◽  
Desirée Valera-Gran ◽  
Elena Hernández-Álvarez ◽  
Encarnación Donoso-Navarro ◽  
...  

Reliable tools to evaluate diet are needed, particularly in life periods such as adolescence in which a rapid rate of growth and development occurs. We assessed the biochemical validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in a sample of Spanish male adolescents using carotenoids and vitamin E and D data. We analyzed data from 122 male adolescents aged 15–17 years of the INMA-Granada birth cohort study. Adolescents answered a 104-item FFQ and provided a non-fasting blood sample. Mean daily nutrient intakes and serum concentration were estimated for main carotenoids (lutein-zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, α-carotene and β-carotene), vitamins E and D and also for fruit and vegetable intake. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and the percentage of agreement (same or adjacent quintiles) between serum vitamin concentrations and energy-adjusted intakes were estimated. Statistically significant correlation coefficients were observed for the total carotenoids (r = 0.40) and specific carotenoids, with the highest correlation observed for lutein–zeaxanthin (r = 0.42) and the lowest for β-carotene (0.23). The correlation coefficient between fruit and vegetable intake and serum carotenoids was 0.29 (higher for vegetable intake, r = 0.33 than for fruit intake, r = 0.19). Low correlations were observed for vitamin E and D. The average percentage of agreement for carotenoids was 55.8%, and lower for vitamin E and D (50% and 41%, respectively). The FFQ may be an acceptable tool for dietary assessment among male adolescents in Spain.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3316
Author(s):  
Raeda El Sayed Ahmad ◽  
Mariam Baroudi ◽  
Hibeh Shatila ◽  
Lara Nasreddine ◽  
Fatima Al Zahraa Chokor ◽  
...  

This study aims to assess the validity and reproducibility of a culture-specific semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for Lebanese adults. The 94-item FFQ captures intake of traditional Mediterranean dishes and Western food, reflective of current Lebanese nutrition transition. Among 107 participants (18–65 years), the FFQ was administered at baseline (FFQ-1) and one year thereafter (FFQ-2); 2–3 24-h recalls (24-HRs)/season were collected for a total of 8–12 over four seasons. A subset (n = 67) provided a fasting blood sample in the fall. Spearman-correlation coefficients, Bland–Altman plots, joint-classification and (ICC) were calculated. Mean intakes from FFQ-2 were higher than from the total 24-HRs. Correlations for diet from FFQ-2 and 24-HRs ranged from 0.17 for α-carotene to 0.65 for energy. Joint classification in the same/adjacent quartile ranged from 74.8% to 95%. FFQ-2-plasma carotenoid correlations ranged from 0.18 for lutein/zeaxanthin to 0.59 for β-carotene. Intra-class correlations for FFQ-1 and FFQ-2 ranged from 0.36 for β-cryptoxanthin to 0.85 for energy. 24-HRs carotenoid intake varied by season; combining season-specific 24-HRs proximal to biospecimen collection to the FFQ-2 improved diet-biochemical correlations. By applying dietary data from two tools with biomarkers taking into consideration seasonal variation, we report a valid, reproducible Lebanese FFQ for use in diet-disease research.


2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Shai ◽  
Danit R Shahar ◽  
Hillel Vardi ◽  
Drora Fraser

AbstractObjectives:To highlight the differences between the food list required in a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to rank people by their intake and the food items that contribute to absolute intake, and to discuss possible applications.Methods:We conducted a nutritional survey among 1173 adults using an adapted 24-hour recall questionnaire.Statistical analysis:To develop an FFQ, we analysed the 24-hour recall survey data by performing a stepwise multiple regression after grouping conceptually similar food items into 175 food groups.Results:In total, 126 food groups were included in the developed FFQ in order to explain at least 80% of the variance in the consumption of each of 27 nutrients. The nutrients that were explained by a few food groups were vitamin A (one food group), alcohol (two), β-carotene (two), vitamin E (three) and cholesterol (five). Nutrients that were explained by a large number of food groups were energy (37 food groups), potassium (31), magnesium (31), dietary fibre (30), phosphorus (31) and sodium (29). Using energy intake as an example, soft drinks were the best between-person energy classifiers, while providing only 2.4% of the total energy intake. Wine, seeds and nuts, which contributed highly to the variance, were minor energy contributors. In contrast, milk, sugar, fried chicken/turkey breast or whole chicken/turkey, which explained little of the variation in the population, were major energy contributors.Conclusions:Developing an FFQ on the basis of common foods may not explain the between-person variation required for ranking individual intake in diet–disease studies. Producing lists of ‘discriminating items’ can be a useful application in developing mini-FFQs for selected nutrients.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Vioque ◽  
Manuela Garcia-de-la-Hera ◽  
Sandra Gonzalez-Palacios ◽  
Laura Torres-Collado ◽  
Leyre Notario-Barandiaran ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raíssa do Vale Cardoso LOPES ◽  
Juliana Araújo TEIXEIRA ◽  
Dirce Maria MARCHIONI ◽  
Luisa Lina VILLA ◽  
Anna Regina GIULIANO ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to compare dietary intake estimates using two different methodological approaches: use of new portions obtained with the 24-Hour Diet Recall, which was applied in the current study population, and the application of calibration equations, which were estimated using the same 24h-recalls. Methods Calibration equations were estimated using linear regression. The medians and confidence intervals of energy and nutrient intakes were assessed using all the approaches. The U Mann Whitney test was applied to verify differences among dietary intakes obtained with the 24 Hour Recall and Food Frequency Questionnaire-based methods. The correlation between different measures was assessed with Spearman coefficient. Weighted Kappa was used to verify the capability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire -based methods to classify individuals in the same intake levels of the 24 Hour Recall. Results Nine of the eleven components that were analyzed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire with standard portions and calibrated had medians significantly different from those obtained using the 24 Hour Recall; only the measurements of vitamin E and energy were statistically equal. For the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions, only the medians of vitamin D and B12 did not significantly differ from the 24 Hour Recall medians. Finally, for the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions and calibrated, all components, except folate and iron, had medians statistically equal to those obtained using the 24 Hour Recall. Spearman correlation coefficients were higher for the Food Frequency Questionnaire with 24 Hour Recall portions calibrated for all the assessed components, and the values ranged from 0.27 (total fat) to 0.57 (iron). Higher Kappa correlation coefficients were found for the Food Frequency Questionnaire 24 Hour Recall portions calibrated. Conclusion Calibrated FFQ with portions estimated from the own target population obtained better estimates of dietary intake, with values considerably more similar to those obtained with the reference method.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163
Author(s):  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Mohd Razif Shahril ◽  
Noraidatulakma Abdullah ◽  
Boekhtiar Borhanuddin ◽  
Mohd Arman Kamaruddin ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Ding ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
Ping Hu ◽  
Mei Ye ◽  
Fangping Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The dietary nutritional status of the lactating mothers is related to maternal health and has a significant impact on the growth and development of infants through the secretion of breast milk. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is the most cost-effective dietary assessment method that can help obtain information on the usual dietary pattern of participants. Until now, the FFQs have been used for different populations in China, but there are few FFQs available for the lactating mothers. We aimed to develop a semi-quantitative, 156-item FFQ for the Chinese lactating mothers, and evaluate its reproducibility and relative validity. Methods A total of 112 lactating mothers completed two FFQs and one 3-d dietary record (3DR). The first FFQ (FFQ1) was conducted during postpartum at 60–65 days and the second FFQ (FFQ2) during subsequent follow-up at 5 weeks. The 3DR was completed with portion sizes assessed using photographs taken by the respondent before and after eating (instant photography) 1 week after FFQ1. Results For reproducibility, the Spearman’s correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.34 to 0.68, and for nutrients from 0.25 to 0.61. Meanwhile, the intra-class correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.48 to 0.87, and for nutrients from 0.27 to 0.70. For relative validity, the Spearman’s correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.32 to 0.56, and for nutrients from 0.23 to 0.72. The energy-adjusted coefficients for food ranged from 0.26 to 0.55, and for nutrients from 0.22 to 0.47. Moreover, the de-attenuation coefficients for food ranged from 0.34 to 0.67, and for nutrients from 0.28 to 0.77. The Bland-Altman plots also showed reasonably acceptable agreement between the two methods. Conclusions This FFQ is a reasonably reproducible and a relative valid tool for assessing dietary intake of the Chinese lactating mothers.


1977 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Aafjes ◽  
J. C. M. van der Vijver ◽  
R. Docter ◽  
P. E. Schenck

ABSTRACT In 210 subfertile men there existed a significant positive correlation between serum FSH and LH (0.41). No correlation was observed between the gonadotrophin levels and testosterone. In contrast to this FSH as well as LH were negatively correlated with the natural logarithm (In) of the sperm count/ml ejaculate (−0.44 and −0.18, respectively). When the positive correlation which existed between FSH and LH was used to calculate partial correlation coefficients, the coefficient between FSH and ln sperm count did hardly change (−0.41) the coefficient between LH and ln sperm count on the other hand became insignificant (−0.05). This suggests that spermatogenesis influences FSH serum levels in subfertile men by a decreased suppression when sperm production is diminished. Testicular biopsies taken from 97 of these patients were used to determine biopsy scores. These scores showed a significant negative correlation with FSH (−0.34) and a positive one with ln sperm count/ml ejaculate (0.45). Interestingly the biopsy score of 16 patients who fertilized their wives, was found to be higher compared with the score of the other patients who did not fertilize. The number of sperm/ml ejaculate and the FSH values of these 2 groups of biopsied patients were, however, not significantly different. This leads to the conclusion that the biopsy score is a better parameter for the evaluation of oligospermic men than either sperm count or FSH serum values.


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