Dietary assessment of older Iowa women with a food frequency questionnaire: nutrient intake, reproducibility, and comparison with 24-hour dietary recall interviews.

The authors report the results of a dietary survey of 38,121 Iowa women, 55-69 years of age in 1986, based on a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire previously tested among Boston-area women aged 34-59 years. The Iowa women, compared with the younger Boston-area women, consumed a similar amount of calories (1,767 vs. 1,844 kcal) and a similar amount of total calories from fat (35 vs. 37%) but had markedly greater intake of the following micronutrients after including supplement use: iron (+18%), calcium (+33%), vitamin A (+43%), riboflavin (+46%), thiamine (+50%), and pyridoxine (+122%). The reproducibility of the questionnaire was examined in two more administrations to 44 of the Iowa women in January and June of 1988. Reproducibility was highest for alcohol (Pearson's r = 0.99), caffeine (r = 0.95), and vitamin E (r = 0.90) and lowest for sucrose (r = 0.53), polyunsaturated fat (r = 0.56), and iron (r = 0.59). Micronutrient intakes were generally more reproducible than macronutrient intakes. The agreement between the June 1988 questionnaire and the average of five 24-hour dietary recalls was also assessed in the 44 subjects. The median correlations of energy-adjusted intake were as follows: for macronutrients, r = 0.45; for micronutrients without supplements, r = 0.33; and for micronutrients with supplements, r = 0.64. This food frequency questionnaire appears to be reasonably reproducible and accurate, so that its use may be extended to epidemiologic studies of older women with a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds.     

Dietary intake in the elderly estimated by a 24 hour recall and a food frequency questionnaire

Two hundred and thirty-five tenants living in sheltered housing in Scotland were surveyed to identify the extent of under-nutrition and the social factors which contribute to its development. A validated 24 h recall and the nutrient checklist published by NAGE were used to evaluate patterns of dietary intake. A questionnaire was developed which included scales designed to measure depression, social engagement, cognitive function, mobility and functional ability. The results show considerable evidence of a number of major nutrients in which there were low intakes. In order to express the extent of poor nutrition, a nutrient score was developed where points are awarded based on the number of nutrients falling below the Lower Reference Nutrient Intake, the Estimated Average Requirement or below half the daily Estimated Average Requirement.     

Validation of the 24-hour dietary recall in preschool children

The results of the current study indicate that data obtained by the dietary recall correlate highly with the children's weighed food intake if a parent or the primary caretaker providing the child's food responds to the interview. Meredith et al. found parents to be poor reporters of children's consumption outside the home. It is encouraging to note that parents can be reliable reporters of their children's food intake in the home environment. When errors did occur, they were errors in portion size, as 96% of foods eaten by the children were correctly identified by the parents. Parents under-reported only 4% of the time. This slight tendency to under-report is consistent with other reports of the validity of the 24-hour dietary recall. In younger children, parents appear to be reliable reporters of their children's in-home dietary intake. As children become older, they appear to be able to recall their own intake both within and outside the home. There are several possible explanations for these findings. First, several factors could have influenced the accuracy of parental reports of the child's intake during the day that we weighed foods. Because food was weighed in the homes, the parents undoubtedly attended more closely to their child's diet. Additionally, the dietary recalls were collected at the end of the day of observation. This was closer in time than most 24-hour recalls and may have reflected less memory decay than usual. Also, since our sample was primarily middle-class families who were well educated, the correspondence between actual vs. reported dietary intake may have been artificially enhanced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire in preschool children

BACKGROUND: Support for the validity of food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) in preschool children using parental report is limited. METHODS: We obtained dietary information for 68 children age 1-3 years using three or four 24-hour recalls and a FFQ regarding the child's diet covering one year from families in Denver, CO from 1997 to 1999. FFQs were completed by the parents, and recalls were collected via interviews with the parents and alternate caregivers, where applicable. Nutrient biomarkers were measured in the plasma of 38 of the children. All nutrients were adjusted for energy intake using residuals, and log-transformed where necessary. RESULTS: Correlations (Pearson r) between the FFQ and the average of the recalls were 0.33 for protein, 0.41 for carbohydrate, 0.39 for fat, 0.42 for vitamin C, 0.27 for alpha-tocopherol, and 0.08 for total energy intake. We found no substantial changes in these correlations after stratification by whether or not meals and snacks were provided by caregivers other than the parents. The highest correlations (Spearman r) with biological measures were 0.51 between plasma ascorbic acid and FFQ vitamin C, and 0.48 between plasma and FFQ alpha-tocopherol. CONCLUSIONS: The FFQ shows mostly good agreements with multiple 24-hour recalls and biomarkers in preschool children. In addition, the validity of the FFQ using parental report does not appear to be compromised when there are meal providers in addition to the parents.     

Consistency of the Willett semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recalls in estimating nutrient intakes of preschool children.

A study was performed to determine the utility of the Willett semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire for assessing the habitual diets of preschool children. Children (n = 224) were recruited mainly through a New York City hospital-based pediatric practice during 1986-1987. The children's ages at baseline were 44-60 months; 50% were male, and 91% were Hispanic. Over a 12-month period, the Willett food frequency questionnaire was administered twice to each child's parent, and a 24-hour dietary recall was conducted four times. For energy and eight nutrients, group mean intakes derived from food frequency questionnaires were 1.4-1.9 times higher than those from 24-hour recalls. Group mean estimates of nutrient density of total and saturated fat, potassium, and calcium did not differ between the two methods. Correlations between methods for crude nutrient intakes (unadjusted for energy consumption) ranged from 0.16 (polyunsaturated fat in boys) to 0.60 (potassium in girls). Correlations generally decreased when intakes were adjusted for energy consumption. Adjustment for energy intake and residual intraindividual variability yielded correlations of 0.48 for total calories, 0.35 for total fat, and 0.37 for saturated fat. For intake of energy and nine nutrients, of those children classified into the highest quintile by dietary recall, 28.9-40.9% were so classified by the Willett questionnaire, and 48.9-68.9% were classified into the highest two quintiles. When data were expressed as nutrient densities, agreement was high for potassium and calcium and fair for saturated fat, cholesterol, and protein. The moderately low consistency of nutrient intake estimates across dietary assessment methods in this study may be due, in large part, to residual intraindividual variability in both the recall data and the food frequency data.     

Dietary survey “HEUREKA” 1991: Dietary intake of a Swiss collective assessed by a self-administered 24-hour recall questionnaire

Summary Food consumption (divided into 10 food groups) as well as energy and main nutrient intake of a Swiss collective (n=3653) aged 7 years and older was studied. The caloric density was much improved for all five age groups considered as compared with findings in former studies. Carbohydrates gained and alcohol lost significance as main energy suppliers. These results indicate a positive trend in the dietary habits of the collective and suggest an improvement in the dietary habits of the Swiss population as a whole.

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Zusammenfassung Der nach 10 Lebensmittelgruppen aufgeschlüsselte Lebensmittelverzehr sowie die Aufnahme an Energie und Hauptnährstoffen wurden für ein Schweizer Kollektiv (n=3653) im Alter von 7 jahren und mehr untersucht. Die Energie-Nährstoffrelation war im Vergleich zu früheren. Studien für alle 5 betrachteten Altersklassen günstiger. Kohlenhydrate haben als Energielieferanten an Bedeutung gewonnen. Alkohol verloren. Diese Resultate weisen auf ejnen positiven. Trend in den Ernährungsgewohnheiten des Kollektives hin, und deuten eine Verbesserung der Ernährungsgewohnheiten der Schweize Bevölkerung an.

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Résumé La consommation alimentaire répartie sur 10 groupes d'aliments, l'apport énergétique et des nutriments principaux ontété étudiés pour un collectif Suisse (n=3653) agé 7 ans et plus. La part relative des nutriments dans la ration énergétique a été plus favorable pour toutes cing classes d'âge considerées par rapport aux études précédentes. Les glucides ont prit de l'importance et l'alcool a perdu de l'importance comme source d'énergie. Ces résultats indiquent une tendance positive des habitudes alimentaires du collectif et suggèrent une amélioration des habitudes alimentaires de toute la population suisse.

     

Long-term (24-year) recall reliability in cancer cases and controls using a 21-item food frequency questionnaire

The following two questions concerning diet recall were addressed when studying 117 incident cancer cases and 99 controls from the Adventist Mortality Study. Are recalls of past dietary habits reliable? Does recall ability differ between cancer cases and controls? Two sets of dietary data were compared using the American Cancer Society's food frequency questionnaire--as reported in 1960 and recalled in 1984. Ability to recall 21 key food items was evaluated both for individual foods and a combination of all foods by comparing recall scores. The comparison revealed that among food groups, 24-year recall ability varied greatly. There was no significant difference in recall ability between cancer incident cases and controls after controlling for factors that may be related to recall ability (e.g., age, education, and sex). Also, there was no significant difference in recall ability among subjects with or without other chronic diseases likely to affect diet pattern. The results revealed no significant differences in recall ability by sex and body mass index; however, significant differences by vegetarian status and diet stability were found. Significant differences by educational level were found only in univariate analysis.     

Evaluation of food photographs for 24-hour recall method

The purpose of this study was to develop a visual aid to improve and increase accuracy of the 24-hour recall method. This aid in the form of a booklet, consists of life-sized photographs of common Malaysian foods, accompanied by the weight of its edible portion and nutrient values. These photographs used together with the recall method were tested against the weighed record method for its validity. For this preliminary test, a total of 23 photographs of food items were tested. Sixty healthy adult volunteers were selected as respondents for the test. These respondents were divided into 2 groups. Each group was given either a simple or complicated menus. The respondents were served 3 test meals: breakfast, lunch and tea. Each food item served and plate waste were weighed and recorded. The 24-hour recall was conducted the day following the weighed record day. The results of the paired t-tests indicated no significant difference in group's mean weights of food intake between the weighed record and recalled method for 13(57%) of the foods tested. The correlation coefficients between the two methods showed a moderate to strong positive relationships for 17 out of the 23 food photographs tested (ranged from r=0.49-0.92, p<0.01). Analysis on the nutrient intake for simple menus showed high correlation coefficients between both methods for all nutrients tested, r=0.62-0.95, p<0.01. For the complicated menus, the correlation coefficients were slightly lower than the simple menus, ranging from r=0.38-0.71, P<0.0l. Except for the fat intake in the complicated menus, all the correlation coefficients between the two methods reached 0.5 and above for both types of menus.     

Fruit and vegetable assessment: performance of 2 new short instruments and a food frequency questionnaire

Objective To evaluate the ability of 2 new short assessment instruments and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to measure intake of fruit and vegetables. The “All-Day” screener asks frequency and portion size questions about 9 food items. The “By-Meal” screener is similar, except that it asks about 2 of those 9 food items in terms of mealtime.

Design Survey participants completed 4 telephone-administered 24-hour dietary recalls over 1 year, a self-administered FFQ 1 to 2 months later, and 1 of 2 self-administered screeners after an additional 7 months.

Subjects/setting Participating were 202 men and 260 women aged 20 to 70 years living throughout the United States.

Statistical analyses Fruit and vegetable intakes measured by each screener and the FFQ were compared with true usual intake based on a measurement error model with 24-hour dietary recalls as the reference instrument.

Results Estimates of median daily servings of fruit and vegetables were as follows: For men: True intake (5.8) vs All-Day screener (5.0), By-Meal screener (5.5), and FFQ (6.6); for women: true intake (4.2) vs All-Day screener (5.0), By-Meal screener (5.4), and FFQ (6.2). Estimated correlations between the test instruments and true intake were as follows: For men: All-Day screener (0.66), By-Meal screener (0.67), FFQ (0.68); for women: All-Day screener (0.51), By-Meal screener (0.53), and FFQ (0.54).

Applications/conclusions Both screeners might be useful to estimate median intakes of fruit and vegetable servings in US populations, but they might be less useful in accurately ranking individuals. More research is needed before using the screeners in ethnic or low-literacy populations. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:1764-1772.     

Comparison of intakes of US Chinese women based on food frequency and 24-hour recall data

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare dietary reports from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for US Chinese women with 24-hour recall estimates. The subjects were 56 women recruited through organizations in Philadelphia's Chinese community. Spearman correlations were used to describe FFQ estimates of food servings per month and nutrient intake per day vs estimates from three 24-hour recalls over 1 month. On average, women reported at least weekly consumption of 28 of 96 FFQ food items. The three most frequently consumed were rice (38 times/month), tea (29 times/month), and dark green, leafy vegetables (18 times/month). Comparing reported frequencies of the 28 foods to 24-hour recall estimates, the median Spearman correlation was 0.36. For nutrient estimates, correlations were high (r >0.5) for dietary fiber and calcium; moderate ( r =0.25 to 0.5) for energy, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, protein, folic acid, and iron; but poor (r <0.25) for total fat, vitamin C, vitamin A, and carotene. These findings provide some assurance of the FFQ's adequacy for describing US Chinese women's intake of commonly consumed foods and selected nutrients. They also provide a basis for further improvements to, and evaluations of, the FFQ.     

Validity of a food frequency questionnaire and a food diary in a short-term recall situation

The purpose of this study was to compare intakes of eight nutrients computed from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and from 3-day food diaries with known values. Total food intake of 19 healthy adult volunteers (10 men and 9 women) was monitored for 2 weeks. Each week, subjects completed a 3-day diary and a 1-week FFQ. Subjects had previously completed one diary and one FFQ with respect to their usual diets. FFQs and diaries were analyzed for calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. All nutrients were underestimated by the FFQ (all p less than .05). Subjects omitted foods from the FFQ and incorrectly reported consumption frequencies. Vitamin A (p less than .001) and calories (p less than .05) were underestimated by the food diary. It is concluded that factors such as frequency of eating, pairing of foods, and explicitness of FFQ items affect recall accuracy. Those factors could influence the choice of FFQ design and administration.     

Determinants of long-term (24-year) diet recall ability using a 21-item food frequency questionnaire

This study sought to determine how well individuals are able to recall accurately their food habits of 24 years ago and identify those factors that are predictive of recall ability. We investigated the self-reported dietary intakes of 216 people, one-half of whom were vegetarians, including cancer cases and controls. We compared 21 key food items reported in 1960 with the same data reported in 1984. Recall ability was the highest for persons with stable diets. Vegetarian status, education, and church attendance were the other significant determinants of exact recall; age and church attendances were the only significant determinants of recall error. After excluding nonusers of particular foods, we found a positive correlation between frequency of use and recall ability.     

Validity and reliability of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire for the JPHC study: The assessment of amino acid intake

Background

The Japanese database of food amino acid composition was revised in 2010 after a 24-year interval. To examine the impact of the 2010 revision compared with that of the 1986 revision, we evaluated the validity and reliability of amino acid intakes assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Dietary evaluation and attenuation of relative risk: multiple comparisons between blood and urinary biomarkers, food frequency, and 24-hour recall questionnaires: the DEARR study

Estimates of diet-disease relative risks (RRs) suffer from inaccuracies introduced by dietary measurement errors. Using the "method of triads," by which the validity coefficient (VC) of the dietary assessment method and "true" long-term intake could be estimated from 3 pairwise correlations between the FFQ, the reference method, and the biomarker, the authors evaluated the performance of a newly developed FFQ. Over a period of 13 mo (September 2000 to September 2001), 161 participants completed 3 FFQs and six 24-h recalls (24HRs), and supplied 2 blood samples and three 24-h urine collections. For protein, beta-carotene, and folic acid, the VCs of the FFQ with the "true intake" (0.77, 0.65, and 0.72, respectively) were relatively higher than the VCs of 24HRs (0.68, 0.60 and 0.39, respectively). Among the biomarkers, the VCs of serum beta-carotene and folic acid with the "true intake" (0.65 and 0.65) were higher than the VCs of urinary nitrogen and alpha-tocopherol (0.44 and 0.34, respectively). The DEARR study showed that the newly developed FFQ is a valid and reproducible instrument for assessing dietary intake. The VCs obtained can be used for future adjustment of diet-disease RR estimates in this population.     

Usability of a smartphone food picture app for assisting 24-hour dietary recall: a pilot study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The Recaller app was developed to help individuals record their food intakes. This pilot study evaluated the usability of this new food picture application (app), which operates on a smartphone with an embedded camera and Internet capability.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Adults aged 19 to 28 years (23 males and 22 females) were assigned to use the Recaller app on six designated, nonconsecutive days in order to capture an image of each meal and snack before and after eating. The images were automatically time-stamped and uploaded by the app to the Recaller website. A trained nutritionist administered a 24-hour dietary recall interview 1 day after food images were taken. Participants'' opinions of the Recaller app and its usability were determined by a follow-up survey. As an evaluation indicator of usability, the number of images taken was analyzed and multivariate Poisson regression used to model the factors determining the number of images sent.

RESULTS

A total of 3,315 food images were uploaded throughout the study period. The median number of images taken per day was nine for males and 13 for females. The survey showed that the Recaller app was easy to use, and 50% of the participants would consider using the app daily. Predictors of a higher number of images were as follows: greater interval (hours) between the first and last food images sent, weekend, and female.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this pilot study provide valuable information for understanding the usability of the Recaller smartphone food picture app as well as other similarly designed apps. This study provides a model for assisting nutrition educators in their collection of food intake information by using tools available on smartphones. This innovative approach has the potential to improve recall of foods eaten and monitoring of dietary intake in nutritional studies.     

A comparison of a food frequency questionnaire with a 24-hour recall for use in an epidemiological cohort study: results from the biomarker-based Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition (OPEN) study

BACKGROUND: Most large cohort studies have used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing dietary intake. Several biomarker studies, however, have cast doubt on whether the FFQ has sufficient precision to allow detection of moderate but important diet-disease associations. We use data from the Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition (OPEN) study to compare the performance of a FFQ with that of a 24-hour recall (24HR). METHODS: The OPEN study included 484 healthy volunteer participants (261 men, 223 women) from Montgomery County, Maryland, aged 40-69. Each participant was asked to complete a FFQ and 24HR on two occasions 3 months apart, and a doubly labelled water (DLW) assessment and two 24-hour urine collections during the 2 weeks after the first FFQ and 24HR assessment. For both the FFQ and 24HR and for both men and women, we calculated attenuation factors for absolute energy, absolute protein, and protein density. RESULTS: For absolute energy and protein, a single FFQ's attenuation factor is 0.04-0.16. Repeat administrations lead to little improvement (0.08-0.19). Attenuation factors for a single 24HR are 0.10-0.20, but four repeats would yield attenuations of 0.20-0.37. For protein density a single FFQ has an attenuation of 0.3-0.4; for a single 24HR the attenuation factor is 0.15-0.25 but would increase to 0.35-0.50 with four repeats. CONCLUSIONS: Because of severe attenuation, the FFQ cannot be recommended as an instrument for evaluating relations between absolute intake of energy or protein and disease. Although this attenuation is lessened in analyses of energy-adjusted protein, it remains substantial for both FFQ and multiple 24HR. The utility of either of these instruments for detecting important but moderate relative risks (between 1.5 and 2.0), even for energy-adjusted dietary factors, is questionable.     

Use of a three-day estimated food record, a 72-hour recall and a food-frequency questionnaire for dietary assessment in a Mediterranean Spanish population

AIM: To assess the validity and the short-term reproducibility of a semi-quantitative, self-administrated food frequency questionnaire and a structured 72-hour recall in a Mediterranean Spanish population. METHODS: 44 free-living volunteers participated in the study. Macronutrient, vitamin and mineral intake, recorded on the food frequency questionnaire and the structured 72-h recall were compared with intakes derived from a three-day food record (reference method). Validity of the dietary assessment methods was further assessed by comparing urinary nitrogen, plasma vitamin C, plasma beta-carotene and whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity levels with the corresponding nutrient intakes from the questionnaires. The food frequency questionnaire and the 72-h recall were administered twice to assess the short term reproducibility. RESULTS: Pearson's correlation coefficients between urinary nitrogen, plasma vitamin C, plasma beta-carotene and whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity levels and the reported nitrogen, vitamin C, beta-carotene and selenium intakes were 0.26, 0.53, 0.17, 0.26 for the food frequency questionnaire; 0.41, 0.09, 0.34, 0.42 for the structured 72-h recall and 0.50, 0.54, 0.44, 0.38 for the three-day food record, respectively. The short term reproducibility of analysed nutrient intake showed average intra-class correlation coefficients of 0.91 and 0.69 for the food frequency questionnaire and the structured 72-h recall irrespectively. CONCLUSION: The food frequency questionnaire and the structured 72-h recall provide valid estimates of nutrient intake and could be used for dietary assessments.