title: Reproducibility and Relative Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire in 9-10 Year-Old Children.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility and validity of a non-quantitative 28-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Children aged 9-10 years (n = 50) from three schools in Dunedin, New Zealand, completed the FFQ twice and a four-day estimated food diary (4DEFD) over a two-week period. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Spearman's correlation coefficients (SCC) were used to determine reproducibility and validity of the FFQ, respectively. Weekly intakes were estimated for each food item and aggregated into 23 food items/groups. More than half of the food items/groups (52.2%) had an ICC ≥0.5. The median SCC between FFQ administrations was 0.66 (ranging from 0.40 for processed meat to 0.82 for sweets and non-dairy drinks). Cross-classification analysis between the first FFQ and 4DEFD for ranking participants into thirds showed that breakfast cereals had the highest agreement (54.0%) and pasta the lowest (34.0%). In validity analyses, 70% of food items/groups had a SCC ≥0.3. Results indicate that the FFQ is a useful tool for ranking children according to food items/groups intake. The low respondent burden and relative simplicity of the FFQ makes it suitable for use in large cohort studies of 9-10 year-old children in New Zealand.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. pouya.saeedi@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Pouya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saeedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. sheila.skeaff@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Sheila A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Skeaff
authors.affiliation: School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia. wjeiin@ukm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Jyh Eiin
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. paula.skidmore@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Paula M L
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Skidmore
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: New Zealand; children; food frequency questionnaire; reproducibility; validity