Abstract
Food frequency questionnaires are useful tools for epidemiologic research in adults. The aim of this study was to measure the reliability of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire designed for a pediatric population. METHODS. Ten one-year-old children were investigated. The mothers completed the questionnaire and then underwent a 7-days dietary history. The dietary history data were used as reference measure of dietary intake of calorie, protein, fat, carbohydrates, poly-, mono-, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol calcium and iron. Reliability was assessed by the coefficient of correlation between the nutrient intakes estimated by the two methods. RESULTS. Correlation coefficients were very high for calories (0.89), protein (0.93), carbohydrates (0.91); fat (0.68), monounsaturated fatty acids (0.56), saturated fatty acids (0.71), cholesterol (0.54), calcium (0.75) and iron (0.60) had intermediate values. A low correlation coefficient was calculated for polyunsaturated fatty acids.
CONCLUSION. These preliminary data show a good reliability for the food frequency questionnaire developed for a population of one-year-old children. Improvement of efficiency of epidemiologic studies could be obtained with this time-sparing method.
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Bellù, R., Riva, E. & Ortisi, M. VALIDATION OF A FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INFANTS. Pediatr Res 32, 626 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00128
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00128