Abstract
Background
Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are often used to evaluate individuals' food
intakes in epidemiologic studies because of their simplicity and low cost.
Objective
To assess the validity of a short (24 items), qualitative FFQ used in the MONA LISA-NUT
study.
Design
Cross-sectional study of a representative sample in three French counties.
Participants/setting
The sample included 2,630 participants aged 35 to 65 years from the MONA LISA-NUT
study.
Main outcome measures
Food consumption was measured with the FFQ and via food records for 3 consecutive
days. Plasma fatty acids were measured from a subset of participants.
Statistical analyses performed
The FFQ items' validity was assessed by calculating crude and deattenuated Pearson
correlation coefficients between frequencies reported by the FFQ and average weights
reported by the food records. Furthermore, the validity of some items of the FFQ measuring
the consumption of fatty foods was assessed by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients
between frequencies of consumption of these foods and dosages of the corresponding
plasma fatty acids: fish and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA), olive oil and oleic acid, margarine and elaidic acid, and dairy products and
pentadecanoic and heptadecanoic acids.
Results
The mean of the deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients for all items was 0.46,
with values ranging from 0.22 (fried food) to 0.77 (breakfast cereal). The correlation
coefficient was ≤0.4 for one third of the 24 items. Moderate correlations were found
between fish and EPA/DHA (EPA: r=0.43, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.51; DHA: r=0.39, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.47), but not for other food items.
Conclusions
One third of the 24 items in the short, qualitative FFQ evaluated here were not sufficiently
valid. However, for the food groups most commonly studied in the literature, this
FFQ had the same degree of validity as other questionnaires designed to classify subjects
according to their level of intake.
Keywords
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Biography
J. Giovannelli is an assistant professor, Service d'Épidémiologie et Santé Publique, Université Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France.
Biography
J. Dallongeville is a researcher, Service d'Épidémiologie et Santé Publique, Université Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France.
Biography
N. Marecaux is a dietitian, Service d'Épidémiologie et Santé Publique, Université Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France.
Biography
A. Wagner is a physician, Laboratoire d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
Biography
B. Haas is a physician, Laboratoire d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
Biography
D. Arveiler is a physician, Laboratoire d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
Biography
V. Bongard is an assistant professor, Service d'Épidémiologie, CHU de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Biography
J. B. Ruidavets is a physician, Service d'Épidémiologie, CHU de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Biography
J. Ferrieres is a professor, Service d'Épidémiologie, CHU de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Biography
B. Laillet is an assistant engineer, INRA, UNH, CRNH Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Biography
C. Simon is a researcher, CARMEN, Université de Lyon, CRNH Rhône-Alpes, Lyon, France.
Biography
L. Dauchet is an assistant professor, Service d'Épidémiologie et Santé Publique, Université Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France; and service d'épidémiologie régional, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 29, 2013
Accepted:
June 26,
2013
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT The third MONA LISA survey was made possible by an unrestricted grant from Pfizer and a grant from the French National Research Agency (no. ANR-05-PNRA-018).
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
