title: Use of a web-based dietary assessment tool in early pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal diet is critical to fetal development and lifelong health outcomes. In this context, dietary quality indices in pregnancy should be explicitly underpinned by data correlating food intake patterns with nutrient intakes known to be important for gestation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to assess the correlation between dietary quality scores derived from a novel online dietary assessment tool (DAT) and nutrient intake data derived from the previously validated Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire (WFFQ).
  
  
  METHODS
  524 women completed the validated semi-quantitive WFFQ and online DAT questionnaire in their first trimester. Spearman correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to test associations between energy-adjusted and energy-unadjusted nutrient intakes derived from the WFFQ, and diet and nutrition scores obtained from the DAT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive correlations were observed between respondents' diet and nutrition scores derived from the online DAT, and their folate, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, zinc and iodine intakes/MJ of energy consumed derived from the WFFQ (all P < 0.001). Negative correlations were observed between participants' diet and nutrition scores and their total energy intake (P = 0.02), and their percentage energy from fat, saturated fat, and non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) (all P ≤ 0.001). Median dietary fibre, beta carotene, folate, vitamin C and vitamin D intakes derived from the WFFQ, generally increased across quartiles of diet and nutrition score (all P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Scores generated by this web-based DAT correlate with important nutrient intakes in pregnancy, supporting its use in estimating overall dietary quality among obstetric populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland. lauraemullaney@gmail.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mullaney
authors.affiliation: UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, Coombe Women Infants University Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: O'Higgins
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cawley
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCartney
authors.affiliation: UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, Coombe Women Infants University Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food frequency questionnaire; Pregnancy; Web-based dietary assessment