scholarly journals Dietary Intake in the Lifelines Cohort Study: Baseline Results from the Flower Food Frequency Questionnaire among 59,982 Participants

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
A. Mireille Baart ◽  
Elske M. Brouwer-Brolsma ◽  
Corine W. M. Perenboom ◽  
Jeanne H. M. de Vries ◽  
Edith J. M. Feskens

The role of nutrition in health and disease is well established. However, more research on this topic is needed to fill gaps in our current knowledge. The Lifelines cohort study, a large Dutch prospective cohort study, was established as a resource for international researchers, aiming to obtain insight into the aetiology of healthy ageing. The study started with 167,729 participants, covering three generations, aiming to follow them for thirty years. This article describes the habitual dietary intake, assessed using the Flower Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), among Lifelines cohort study participants at baseline, stratified by sex and different categories of age, socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass index (BMI). A total of 59,982 adults (23,703 men and 36,279 women), who completed the Flower FFQ and reported plausible habitual dietary intake, were included in the analyses. Median daily energy intake was higher in men (2368 kcal) than in women (1848 kcal), as well as macronutrient intake. Energy and macronutrient intake decreased with increasing age and BMI categories; no differences were observed between SES categories. Intake of most micronutrients was higher in men than in women. Differences were observed between age categories, but not between SES and BMI categories. Food groups were consumed in different amounts by men and women; differences between age, SES and BMI categories were observed as well. The Lifelines cohort study provides extensive dietary intake data, which are generalisable to the general Dutch population. As such, highly valuable dietary intake data are available to study associations between dietary intake and the development of chronic diseases and healthy aging.

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L Parr ◽  
Ingrid Barikmo ◽  
Liv E Torheim ◽  
Fatimata Ouattara ◽  
Assitan Kaloga ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Kripa Rajagopalan ◽  
Mallika Alexander ◽  
Shilpa Naik ◽  
Nikhil Patil ◽  
Shivani Mehta ◽  
...  

Abstract Adequate dietary intake is critical to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes. India has a high burden of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, but there is a lack of adequate tools to assess dietary intake. We validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), New-Interactive Nutrition Assistant-Diets in India Study of Health (NINA-DISH), among pregnant women living with and without HIV in Pune, India. Women were selected from a cohort study investigating immune responses to HIV and latent TB during pregnancy. The FFQ was administered during the third trimester and validated against multiple 24-hour diet recalls (24-HDRs) collected in second and third trimesters. Data for analysis was available from 58 women out of 70 enrolled into this sub-study, after excluding those with incomplete data or implausible energy intake. The median (Q1, Q3) age of study participants was 23 (20, 25) years. Median (Q1, Q3) daily energy intakes were 2522 (1912, 2858) kcal and 2551 (2034, 3337) kcal by 24-HDR and FFQ, respectively with FFQ overestimating nutrient intake. Pearson correlations between log-transformed estimates from FFQ and 24-HDR for energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, iron and zinc were 0.47, 0.48, 0.45, 0.33, 0.4, and 0.54, respectively. Energy-adjusted and deattenuated correlations ranged from 0.41 (saturated fat) to 0.73 (sodium). The highest misclassification into extreme tertiles was observed for fat (22%), saturated fat (21%), and sodium (21%). Bias existed at higher intake levels as observed by Bland-Altman plots. In conclusion, NINA-DISH is a valid and feasible tool for estimating dietary intakes among urban pregnant women in western India.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Elske M Brouwer-Brolsma ◽  
Corine Perenboom ◽  
Diewertje Sluik ◽  
Anne van de Wiel ◽  
Anouk Geelen ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) assess habitual dietary intake and are relatively inexpensive to process, but may take up to 60 minutes to complete. This article describes the validation of the Flower-FFQ, which consists of four short FFQs measuring the intake of energy and macronutrients or specific (micro)nutrients/foods that can be merged into one complete daily assessment using predefined algorithms. Design: Participants completed the Flower-FFQ and validated regular-FFQ (n=401). Urinary nitrogen (n=242) and potassium excretions (n=361) were measured. We evaluated: 1) group-level bias, 2) correlations, and 3) cross-classification. Setting: Observational study. Participants: Dutch adults, 54±11(mean±SD) years. Results: Flower-FFQ1, Flower-FFQ2, Flower-FFQ3, and Flower-FFQ4 were completed in ±24, 9, 8 and 9 minutes (±50 minutes total), respectively. The regular-FFQ was completed in ±43 minutes. Mean energy (flower vs. regular: 7953 vs. 8718 kJ/day) and macronutrient intakes (carbohydrates: 204 vs. 222 g/day; protein: 75 vs. 76 g/day; fat: 74 vs. 83 g/day; ethanol: 8 vs. 12 g/day) were comparatively similar. Spearman correlations between Flower-FFQ and regular-FFQ ranged from 0.60-0.80 for macronutrients and from 0.40-0.80 for micronutrients and foods. For all micronutrients and foods, ≥78% of the participants classified in the same/adjacent quartile. The flower-FFQ underestimated urinary nitrogen and potassium excretions by 24% and 18%; 75% and 73% of the participants ranked in the same/adjacent quartile. Conclusion: Completing the Flower-FFQ required 50 minutes with a maximum of 25 minutes per short FFQ. The Flower-FFQ has a moderate to good ranking ability for most nutrients and foods and performs sufficiently to study diet-disease associations.


Author(s):  
Monica Hauger Carlsen ◽  
Lene Frost Andersen ◽  
Anette Hjartåker

Background: New methods of dietary assessment are increasingly making use of online technologies. The development of a new online food frequency questionnaire warranted investigation of its feasibility and the reproducibility of its results. Objective: To investigate the feasibility and reproducibility of a newly developed online FFQ (WebFFQ). Design: The semiquantitative WebFFQ was designed to assess the habitual diet the previous year, with questions about frequency of intake and portion sizes. Estimations of portion sizes include both pictures and household measures, depending on the type of food in question. In two independent cross-sectional studies conducted in 2015 and 2016, adults were recruited by post following random selection from the general population. In the first study, participants (n = 229) filled in the WebFFQ and answered questions about its feasibility, and in two subsequent focus group meetings, participants (n = 9) discussed and gave feedback about the feasibility of the WebFFQ. In the second study, the WebFFQ’s reproducibility was assessed by asking participants (n = 164) to fill it in on two separate occasions, 12 weeks apart. Moreover, in the second study, participants were offered personal dietary feedback, a monetary gift certificate, or both, as incentives to complete the study. Results: In the feasibility study, evaluation form results showed that participants raised issues regarding the estimation of portion size and the intake of seasonal foods as being particularly challenging; furthermore, in the focus group discussions, personal feedback on diet was perceived to be a more motivating factor than monetary reward. In the reproducibility study, total food intake was lower in the second WebFFQ; however, 63% of the food groups were not significantly different from those in the first WebFFQ. Correlations of food intake ranged from 0.62 to 0.90, >86% of the participants were classified into the same or adjacent quartiles, and misclassification ranged from 0 to 3%. Average energy intake was 3.5% lower (p = 0.001), fiber showed the least difference at 1.6% (p = 0.007), and sugar intake differed the most at −6.8% (borderline significant, p = 0.08). Percentage energy obtained from macronutrients did not differ significantly between the first and second WebFFQs. Conclusion: Our results suggest that at group level, the WebFFQ showed good reproducibility for the estimations of intake of food groups, energy, and nutrients. The feasibility of the WebFFQ is good; however, revisions to further improve portion size estimations should be included in future versions. The WebFFQ is considered suitable for dietary assessments for healthy adults in the Norwegian population.


2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Steinemann ◽  
IU Leonhäuser ◽  
N Probst-Hensch ◽  
L Grize ◽  
C Brombach

Author(s):  
Kazuko Ishikawa-Takata ◽  
Kaori Okamoto ◽  
Motoko Taguchi

Abstract Background Food frequency questionnaires are considered an effective method for assessing habitual dietary intake, but they must be developed or validated with the target population. Portion size, supplement use and food choice are thought to be especially important methodological considerations for assessing athletes’ dietary intake. This study aimed to develop and validate a food frequency questionnaire for Japanese athletes using data from this population. Methods We used dietary records from 440 Japanese athletes involved in our previous projects. Food items were analyzed using cumulative percentage contributions and multiple regression analysis, to give a selection of 62 basic food items and four supplemental items. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated among another 77 Japanese athletes by comparing nutrient intakes assessed using the questionnaire with dietary records. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing a second questionnaire completed 2–3 weeks later by 36 of the athletes in the validation study. Validity was assessed using crude Spearman’s correlation coefficients (CCs), energy-adjusted CCs, intraclass CCs (ICCs), and Kappa index values. Reproducibility was assessed by CCs, energy-adjusted CCs, and ICCs. Results In the validation analysis, the median crude CC for all of the nutrients was 0.407, ranging from 0.222 for dietary fiber to 0.550 for carbohydrate. The median energy-adjusted CC was 0.478, and the median ICC was 0.369. When we divided the athletes into quartiles, 65% (vitamin B1) to 86% (iron) of athletes were classified into the same or adjacent categories using the questionnaire and dietary records, with a median Kappa statistic of 0.32. In the reproducibility analysis, the median crude CC between the two completed questionnaires was 0.654, ranging from 0.582 (carbohydrate) to 0.743 (vitamin B2). The median energy-adjusted CC was 0.643, and the median ICC was 0.647. Conclusions The new 62-item food frequency questionnaire is both reliable and valid and may be useful for assessing food intake in Japanese athletes.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1245
Author(s):  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Rossella Miglio ◽  
Lorenza Mistura ◽  
Sara Grioni ◽  
Irene Pozzebon ◽  
...  

Dietary factors play a major role in the development of non-communicable diseases, however little is known regarding the impact of nutrition on rare diseases like sarcomas. This Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute study aimed to evaluate the relative validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to measure the consumption of foods in comparison with a 3-days diary diet in a healthy Italian student population aged between 12 and 17 years. An extended version (including food groups for children) of the semi-quantitative FFQ used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) was administered. The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing the intakes from the FFQ against the 3-day diary method. 254 Italian subjects were included in the analyses: 128 females; 126 males; 116 from High Secondary School (14–17 years); 138 from Low Secondary School (12–13 years). Mean and median intakes are overall higher in the FFQs than in the food diaries. Spearman correlations adjusted for within-person variability were highest for legumes, vegetables and coffee/tea (>0.5), followed by potatoes, meat, fruits, breakfast cereals, biscuits and candies, and milk/yoghurts (>0.4). Moderate correlations were found for alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, juices, and grains (>0.3). For some food groups, such as fish, potatoes, and bread, correlations tend to become higher when stratifying the analyses for age group. These results demonstrate that the adapted EPIC COS FFQ validated in Italian adults is also appropriate and well understood by Italian children and adolescents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabuktagin Rahman ◽  
Patricia Lee ◽  
Santhia Ireen ◽  
Moudud ur-Rahman Khan ◽  
Faruk Ahmed

Abstract A validation study of an interviewer-administered, seven-day semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (7-d SQFFQ) was conducted in Bangladeshi rural preschool age children. Using a cross-sectional study design, 105 children from 103 households were randomly selected. For the SQFFQ, a list of commonly consumed foods was adapted from the Bangladesh national micronutrient survey 2011–12. The data on the actual number of times and the amount of the children's consumption of the foods in the preceding 1 week were collected by interviewing the mothers. The intake was compared with two non-consecutive days 24-h dietary recalls conducted within 2 weeks after the SQFFQ. Validity was assessed by the standard statistical tests. After adjusting for the energy intake and de-attenuation for within-subject variation, the food groups (cereals, animal source foods, milk and the processed foods) had ‘good’ correlations between the methods (rho 0⋅65–0⋅93; P < 0⋅001). Similarly, the macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fats) had ‘good’ correlations (rho 0⋅50–0⋅75; P < 0⋅001) and the key micronutrients (iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, etc.) demonstrated ‘good’ correlations (rho 0⋅46–0⋅85; P < 0⋅001). The variation in classifying the two extreme quintiles by the SQFFQ and the 24-h recalls was <10 %. The results from Lin's concordance coefficients showed a ‘moderate’ to ‘excellent’ absolute agreement between the two methods for food groups, and nutrients (0⋅21–0⋅90; P < 0⋅001). This interviewer-administered, 7-d SQFFQ with an open-ended intake frequency demonstrated adequate validity to assess the dietary intake for most nutrients and suitable for dietary assessments of young children in Bangladesh.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-381
Author(s):  
Papagianni Olga ◽  
Staramou Athanasia ◽  
Rigopoulos Nikolaos ◽  
Dimou Charalampia ◽  
Koutelidakis Antonios

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a food frequency questionnaire is a valid tool for recording and evaluating the frequency of consumption of different functional foods in a sample of the Greek population. Ninety healthy adults aged 18-75 years, not on a specific diet for the past six months and residing in the same location during the past one year were randomly selected to participate in this study. They answered a functional food frequency questionnaire, which included 76 food groups, and filled three consecutive 24-h recalls. The functional food frequency questionnaire was weighted by grams of each food group consumed per day. SPSS-21 program was used for the interpretation of the results. The nonparametric Wilcoxon sign rank test was used to correlate the variables derived from the functional food frequency questionnaire and those derived from the mean of the 24-h recall. The functional food frequency questionnaire was validated at the rate of 80.3%, especially for 61 of 76 functional food subgroups, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two assessment tools, concerning food frequency consumption. These findings showed that the developed functional food frequency questionnaire is a valid tool to investigate the frequency of functional foods consumption in the Greek population.


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