title: Comparisons of four dietary assessment methods during pregnancy in Taiwanese women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this methodology study is to examine the relative validity of four dietary assessment methods during pregnancy and to understand the pros and cons of each method.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 181 healthy pregnant women with less than 20 weeks of gestation and collected information through personal and telephone interviews in Taipei, Taiwan. Dietary assessment methods including 24-hour recalls, 3-day food records, and the weekly food frequency questionnaire during the 3 trimesters and the meal-based Chinese food frequency questionnaire (CFFQ) in the 3(rd) trimester were used in this prospective study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentages of energy from protein (15%), fat (31-34%), and carbohydrate (50-54%) were similar by the recall and record methods. The energy intakes from 24-hour recalls were 1924 kcal, 1980 kcal, and 2172 kcal in the 1(st), 2(nd), and 3(rd) trimesters, respectively. The weekly food frequency questionnaire resulted in significantly higher intakes of all energy nutrients, especially for protein and fat intakes (percentages and densities) for the 3 trimesters; a further adjustment for the food list is needed. The CFFQ showed comparable results with the quantitative methods in estimating dietary patterns for the entire pregnancy. The 24-hour recalls by telephone interviews provided reasonable results in the assessment of the average nutrient intakes during the trimesters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combinations of 24-hour recalls for the short-term dietary changes and the CFFQ for long-term dietary patterns are suggested as appropriate dietary assessment methods during pregnancy in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program for Nutritional Science and Education, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: t10010@ntnu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Li-Ching
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program for Nutritional Science and Education, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Ning
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program for Nutritional Science and Education, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Heng-Fei
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program for Nutritional Science and Education, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chaio-Chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei City Hospital, Branch for Women and Children, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011939:Mental Recall; D008670:Metals; D008903:Minerals; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014815:Vitamins
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D008670:Metals; D008903:Minerals; D014815:Vitamins
keywords: dietary assessments; food frequency questionnaire; pregnant women; prospective study; relative validity