Validity and Reproducibility of a Semi-Quantitative Food-Frequency Questionnaire Designed to Measure the Nutrient Intakes of Canadian South Asian Infants at 12 Months of Age

Can J Diet Pract Res. 2020 Dec 1;81(4):170-178. doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2020-011. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Abstract

Purpose: Validated methods to assess diet of non-European infants are sparse. We assessed the validity and reliability of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for South Asian infants in Canada.Methods: We developed an 80-item FFQ to assess infant nutrient intake in the South Asian Birth Cohort study (START). Caregivers completed the FFQ twice along with two 24-hour diet recalls. We measured infant plasma ferritin to cross-validate reported iron intake. We evaluated validity using Spearman's rho (ρ), and reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient.Results: Seventy-six caregivers provided 2 FFQs and 2 24-hour diet recalls. Energy-adjusted, de-attenuated correlations between the FFQs and 24-hour diet recalls ranged from -0.29 (monounsaturated fat) through 1.00 (cholesterol). The FFQ overestimated energy intake by 128%. Iron intake by 24-hour diet recalls correlated with plasma ferritin (r = 0.41; P = 0.01; n = 37), but iron intake by FFQ did not. The average reproducibility coefficient of the FFQ ranged from 0.24 (macronutrients) to 0.65 (minerals).Conclusions: Among South Asian infants living in Canada, at least 2 days of diet recall completed with the primary caregiver yields more valid and reproducible estimates of nutrient intakes than a semi-quantitative FFQ, and it highlights that careful selection of FFQ portion sizes is important for assessing dietary intake with an FFQ.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Asian People
  • Canada
  • Cohort Studies
  • Diet / statistics & numerical data
  • Diet Surveys*
  • Energy Intake*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Nutrients
  • Nutrition Assessment*
  • Reproducibility of Results

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