title: Reliability and relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire for Italian adults living in Sicily, Southern Italy.
abstract: The aim of this study was to develop and test the reliability and relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) specifically developed for individuals living in Sicily, southern Italy. This study was conducted on a convenient sample of 178 adult volunteers aged 18-80 years recruited in the urban population of Catania. Dietary intake estimated by 2 FFQs was compared with six 24-h recalls covering a period of 10 months. A total of 110 food items were included in the FFQ. Person's coefficients between the first FFQ and mean of the six 24-h recalls showed high correlations for coffee, tea, pasta and dairy products, alcohol, total fats and carbohydrates (in women). The test-retest analysis showed high reproducibility of the FFQ. We showed that our FFQ provided a useful estimate of both food and nutrient intake in a healthy adult population.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Section of Hygiene and Public Health , University of Catania , Catania , Italy ;
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marventano
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Section of Hygiene and Public Health , University of Catania , Catania , Italy ;
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mistretta
authors.affiliation: b Council for Health , Palermo , Italy ;
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Platania
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences , University of Catania , Catania , Italy ;
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galvano
authors.affiliation: d Integrated Cancer Registry of Catania-Messina-Siracusa-Enna, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele , Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grosso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012802:Sicily; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: Diet assessment; Italy; food frequency questionnaire; methodology; reliability; validity