Relative validity of a food-frequency questionnaire developed to assess food intake of schoolchildren living in the Brazilian Western Amazon

This study aimed to assess the relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed to assess food intake of schoolchildren from the Brazilian Western Amazon. The dietary intakes of 61 schoolchildren, aged between six and nine 9 years, were measured using two 24-hour dietary recalls and one FFQ, conducted with the children's, mother or guardians. Validity of the FFQ compared to the mean of the two dietary recalls was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient adjusted for attenuation and energy intake, Bland & Altman plots and evaluation of agreement levels between the two assessment methods. Energy-adjusted and deattenuated correlation coefficients ranged from -0.03 for vitamin C, to 0.93 for calcium. The mean coefficient was 0.46. The mean proportion of subjects classified within one quintile by the two methods was 66%. The Bland & Altman plots indicated good agreement for almost all nutrients, with a mean limit of agreement of 108%. These results indicate that, although there was a lack of accuracy for certain nutrients, such as vitamins A and C, the FFQ ensures reliable estimates of 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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Reliability and relative validity of short-food frequency questionnaire

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-09-2016-0415 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 119 (6) ◽

pp. 1337-1348 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Leila Nikniaz ◽

Jafarsadegh Tabrizi ◽

Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani ◽

Mostafa Farahbakhsh ◽

Sanaz Tahmasebi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Content Type ◽

Food Records ◽

The Mean ◽

Daily Intakes ◽

Reference Tools

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe reliability and relative validity of the short-food frequency questionnaire (SH-FFQ) used for assessing food groups and nutrient intakes of Iranian adults. Design/methodology/approach The food list used in the SH-FFQ was elaborated based on a dietary survey of a sample of 60 individuals aged between 15 and 65 years. A total of 180 subjects (93 males and 87 females) were included in the study. All participants completed two SH-FFQs with one month interval, a single 24 hours recall (24hR) and two food records for three non-consecutive days. Findings No significant differences were observed in the mean daily intakes of energy, food groups and most of the nutrients between the reference tools and the two semi-quantitative SH-FFQs (p>0.05). The mean energy-adjusted reliability coefficients for all variables were 0.54 and 0.55 in men and women. The mean energy-adjusted and deattenuated correlation coefficients for all items between the SH-FFQ and reference tools were 0.54. Also, the mean percent misclassified into opposite quartiles for all food groups and nutrients was 12.6 percent. Originality/value The designed SH-FFQ developed for the Life style Promotion Project has reasonable reliability and relative validity for food groups and nutrient in Iranian adults.

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Validation of the Romanian Version of a Self-Administered Food Frequency Questionnaire

Romanian Journal of Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases ◽

10.2478/rjdnmd-2019-0019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 177-183

Author(s):

Gabriela Roman ◽

Anca-Elena Crăciun ◽

Adriana Rusu ◽

Cristian Crăciun ◽

Bogdan Ananie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Nutrient Intake ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Macronutrient Intake ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Nutrient Consumption ◽

Good Internal Consistency ◽

Good Agreement

Abstract Background and aims: The present study aimed to assess the relative validity of the Romanian version of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in evaluating habitual dietary intake. Material and methods: We used an FFQ that comprised questions on 90 beverage and food items from Nurses Health Questionnaire. The linguistic interchangeability between translation and original questions of the FFQ was assessed in 50 bilingual adults. Also, the FFQ was validated against the 24-h recall diary in 85 participants from ORO study enrolled in Cluj County. Results: The Spearman correlation coefficients between the Romanian and English versions of the FFQ ranged between 0.614 and 1.000, with the majority having values >0.900 (p <0.05 for all). Caloric and nutrient intake estimated from FFQ was significantly correlated with that derived from 24-h dietary recall (correlation coefficients 0.243 to 0.339; p-values <0.05). >70% of the participants were classified in the same or adjacent quartiles of energy and nutrient consumption showing a good agreement between FFQ and 24-h dietary recall. Tested FFQ questionnaire had a good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.931 and 0.949, respectively. Conclusion: Tested FFQ had an acceptable relative validity and can be used to estimate caloric and macronutrient intake.

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Relative Validity and Reproducibility of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Nutrient Intakes of New Zealand Adults

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12030619 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 619 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cecilia Ho Yan Sam ◽

Paula Skidmore ◽

Sheila Skeaff ◽

Sherly Parackal ◽

Clare Wall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Blood Sample ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Future Research ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Diet Records ◽

Diet Record

There is no recent validated short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use in New Zealand (NZ) adults. This study aimed to evaluate the relative validity and reproducibility of a short FFQ in free-living NZ adults aged 30–59 years. A 57-item, semi-quantitative FFQ was developed and pre-tested. During a 12-month study period the FFQ was administrated twice with a 9-month interval between administrations. Four two-day diet records were collected at months 0, 3, 6, and 9 and a blood sample was taken at month 9. Spearman correlations were used to evaluate the validity of the FFQ with the eight-day diet records and selected biomarkers. Cross-classification analysis and the Bland–Altman method were used to assess the agreement between the FFQ and the diet record. Reproducibility over nine months was assessed using intra-class correlations. A total of 132 males and females completed both FFQs, the eight-day diet record, and provided a blood sample. The highest energy-adjusted correlation coefficients were observed for alcohol (0.81), cholesterol (0.61), and carbohydrate (0.61), with the lowest for sodium (0.29), thiamin (0.33), and niacin equivalents (0.34). More than three quarters of the participants were correctly classified into the same or adjacent quartile for most nutrients, with a low proportion of participants being grossly misclassified (<10%). For most nutrients, the limits of agreement from the Bland–Altman analyses were between 50% and 250%. A positive correlation was observed between dietary intakes and plasma biomarkers for all selected nutrients. The FFQ showed moderate to good reproducibility, with almost all reliability coefficients ranging from 0.60 to 0.80. This short FFQ was shown to validly and reliably rank individuals by their habitual intake of most major nutrients, indicating that the FFQ will offer a time-efficient way to assess the nutrient intake of NZ adults in future research.

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Validation of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Food Frequency Questionnaire for use among Adults in Lebanon

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021002123 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-27

Author(s):

Karim Khaled ◽

Vanora Hundley ◽

Maya Bassil ◽

Mira Bazzi ◽

Fotini Tsofliou

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Kappa Statistics ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Acceptable Agreement ◽

Good Agreement

Abstract Objective: To validate the EPIC food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in Lebanon. Design: Validation of the EPIC FFQ was done against three 24-hour recalls. Unadjusted and energy adjusted correlations, Bland Altman plots, and weighed kappa statistics were used to assess the agreement between the two methods. Setting: Lebanon. Participants: 119 adults (staff and students) at a Lebanese University. Results: Good unadjusted and energy-adjusted correlation coefficients were found between data from the two methods which ranged from −0.002 (vitamin A) to 0.337 (carbohydrates) and were all statistically significant except for vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, and niacin. Slight/fair agreement was reported through weighed kappa estimates for unadjusted data ranging from −0.05 (vitamin C) to 0.248 (magnesium) and for energy-adjusted data ranging from −0.034 (vitamin A) to 0.203 (phosphorus). Individuals were categorised into exact and adjacent quartiles with an average of 78% for unadjusted data and 70% for energy-adjusted data, indicating a very good agreement between the EPIC FFQ and the average of the 24-HRs data. The visual inspection of the Bland-Altman plots revealed an over-estimation of energy, carbohydrates, protein, and fat intakes by the FFQ method. Conclusion: Overall, when all tests were taken into consideration, this study demonstrated an acceptable agreement of the EPIC FFQ with the 24-hour dietary recall method and significantly good correlations between dietary intakes. Therefore, the EPIC FFQ can be considered a valid tool for assessing diet in epidemiological studies among Lebanese adults.

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Reproducibility and relative validity of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for the Chinese lactating mothers

Nutrition Journal ◽

10.1186/s12937-021-00678-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ye Ding ◽

Fang Li ◽

Ping Hu ◽

Mei Ye ◽

Fangping Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Lactating Mothers ◽

Dietary Record ◽

Spearman’S Correlation

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.

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Relative Validity of Food Intake Estimates Using a Food Frequency Questionnaire Is Associated with Sex, Age, and Other Personal Characteristics

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1093/jn/136.2.459 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 136 (2) ◽

pp. 459-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 111

Author(s):

Geoffrey C. Marks ◽

Maria Celia Hughes ◽

Jolieke C. van der Pols

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Personal Characteristics ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity

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Relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire among tin miners in China: 1992/93 and 1995/96 diet validation studies

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980099000403 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 301-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

MR Forman ◽

J Zhang ◽

L Nebeling ◽

S-X Yao ◽

MJ Slesinski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Food Intake ◽

Validation Study ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Validation Studies ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Average Frequency ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Food Recalls

AbstractObjectiveDiet validation research was conducted to compare the respondents' reporting of dietary intake in a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with intake reported in food recalls. Because the population received annual salary increments that could modify food intake, diet validation studies (DVSs) were conducted during two time intervals.DesignA 99-item FFQ was administered by an interviewer twice in a 1-year interval, and responses to each FFQ item were compared with 28 days of interviewer-administered food recalls that were collected in four 1-week intervals during each season of 1992/93. The second validation study in 1995/96 had a similar design to the earlier one.SettingA prospective cohort study of lung cancer among tin miners in China was initiated in 1992, with dietary and other risk factors updated annually.SubjectsAmong a cohort of high risk tin miners for lung cancer, two different samples (n = 141 in 1992/93, and n = 113 in 1995/96) for each diet validation study were randomly selected from four mine units, that were representative of all worker units.ResultsMiners reported a significantly higher average frequency of intake of foods in the food recalls than the FFQ, with few exceptions. Deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients of the frequency of food intake between the FFQ and food recalls were in the range of –0.40 to 0.72 in both studies, with higher positive correlations for beverages and cereal staples than for animal protein sources, vegetables, fruits and legumes. The percentage of individuals with exact agreement in the extreme quartiles of intake in the food recalls and FFQ ranged from 0 to 100% in both studies.ConclusionsAmong Chinese miners, the range in correlations between the food recalls and the FFQ were due to: (i) market availability of foods during the food recall weeks compared to their annual reported intake in the FFQ; (ii) cultural perception of time; and (iii) differences in how the intake of mixed dishes and their multi-ingredient foods were reported in the recalls vs. the FFQ. The range in the percentage of agreement in the same quartiles and the changes in food intake over time may have implications for the analysis of the diet-disease relationship in this cohort.

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