Validation of a food frequency questionnaire for assessing dietary nutrients in Brazilian children 5 to 10 years of age

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2008-05, Vol.24 (5), p.427-432
• Main Authors: Fumagalli, Fernanda, R.D, Pontes Monteiro, Jacqueline, R.D., Ph.D, Sartorelli, Daniela Saes, R.D., Ph.D, Vieira, Marta Neves Campanelli Marçal, R.D., Ph.D, de Lourdes Pires Bianchi, Maria, Ph.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Calibration; Child; child nutrition; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; children; Children & youth; Children's food intake; Cholesterol; Chronic illnesses; Correlation coefficient; Diet; Diet Records; Diet Surveys; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Dietary fiber; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; Dietitians; Disease; energy intake; Energy Intake - physiology; Excretory system; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food; Food frequency questionnaire; food frequency questionnaires; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Lipids; Male; Meals; Minerals - administration & dosage; Mortality; Mothers; nutrient intake; Nutrients; Nutrition Assessment; nutritional status; portion size; Potassium; Proteins; public schools; Questionnaires; Reproducibility of Results; Schools; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sodium; Software; Statistical methods; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; Validity; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamins - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2008.01.008

Abstract Objective This study aimed to assess the relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), previously validated to measure usual intakes in adults, for measuring dietary intakes in children 5 to 10 y of age. Methods Dietary intakes were measured using an FFQ and a 3-d dietary record. Healthy children, 5 to 10 y old ( n = 151), were recruited from public schools and asked to answer the questions in the FFQ and to provide non-consecutive 3-d dietary records based on reported estimated portion sizes. Paired sample t tests and Pearson's correlation coefficients were conducted to determine whether the two instruments reported similar values for energy and nutrients. The agreement of quartile categorization between the two instruments was also examined. Results Estimated energy and nutrient intakes derived from the FFQ were significantly higher than those derived from 3-d dietary records. As expected, Pearson's correlations increased after adjusting for residual measurement error, presumably due to exclusion of the high within-person variability in intake of these nutrients. Moderate to high ( r > 0.50) correlation coefficients were verified for some nutrients such as calcium, folate, vitamin B2, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Conclusion This FFQ, originally developed for use in adults, appears to overestimate usual energy and nutrient intakes in children 5 to 10 y of age. Further work is necessary to conduct a calibration study to establish adequate portion sizes before instrument adoption in this population.