title: Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire for dietary intake assessment among multi-ethnic primary school-aged children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to develop and validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess habitual diets of multi-ethnic Malaysian children aged 7-12 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 236 primary school children participated in the development of the FFQ and 209 subjects participated in the validation study, with a subsample of 30 subjects participating in the reproducibility study. The FFQ, consisting of 94 food items from 12 food groups, was compared with a three-day dietary record (3DR) as the reference method. The reproducibility of the FFQ was assessed through repeat administration (FFQ2), seven days after the first administration (FFQ1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the validation study demonstrated good acceptance of the FFQ. Mean intake of macronutrients in FFQ1 and 3DR correlated well, although the FFQ intake data tended to be higher. Cross-classification of nutrient intake between the two methods showed that < 7% of subjects were grossly misclassified. Moderate correlations noted between the two methods ranged from r = 0.310 (p < 0.001) for fat to r = 0.497 (p < 0.001) for energy. The reproducibility of the FFQ, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha, ranged from 0.61 (protein) to 0.70 (energy, carbohydrates and fat). Spearman's correlations between FFQ1 and FFQ2 ranged from rho = 0.333 (p = 0.072) for protein to rho = 0.479 (p < 0.01) for fat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that the FFQ is valid and reliable for measuring the average intake of energy and macronutrients in a population of multi-ethnic children aged 7-12 years in Malaysia.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Fadil
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fatihah
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Boon Koon
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Husin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hazwanie
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: A Karim
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Norimah
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Safii Nik
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Shanita
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abd Talib
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Ruzita
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Bee Koon
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Poh
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D002149:Energy Intake; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: FFQ; children; dietary assessment method; reproducibility; validation