Issues in assessing the validity of nutrient data obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire: folate and vitamin B12 examples.
OBJECTIVE
To compare methods used to assess the validity of nutrient intake data obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), using folate and vitamin B12 as nutrient examples.


METHODS
Cross-sectional sample from a population cohort.


METHODS
Two postcode areas west of Sydney, Australia.


METHODS
In total, 2895 people aged 49 years and older provided dietary data using a semi-quantitative FFQ (79% of 3654 subjects examined). The validity of the FFQ was assessed against three 4-day weighed food records (WFRs) completed by 78 people (mean age 70 years).


RESULTS
Folate and vitamin B12 validity data were assessed using different methods. The Spearman ranked correlations (energy-adjusted) were 0.66 for folate and 0.38 for vitamin B12. Using the Bland-Altman method, following loge transformation, no linear trend existed between the differences and means for folate and vitamin B12. Large differences existed between the FFQ and WFR in individual cases, particularly for vitamin B12. Finally, data were divided into quintile categories for the test and reference method: 79% classified folate within one quintile, 65% classified vitamin B12 within one quintile; there was no gross misclassification for folate and only 3% misclassification for vitamin B12.


CONCLUSIONS
Different methods of analysis provided different information about the validity of the FFQ. Correlation coefficients should not be used alone to assess the validity of nutrient data, but should be used in conjunction with Bland-Altman analyses. Depending on the use of the data, additional assessment of classification categories is recommended. This worked example demonstrates that absolute intakes of folate and vitamin B12 should be used with caution.
Flood
Victoria M
VM
Department of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Smith
Wayne T
WT
Webb
Karen L
KL
Mitchell
Paul
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000008:administration & dosage
D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12