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'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake
Published on: September 18, 2018
Short-term repeatability of a food frequency questionnaire in New Zealand children aged 1-14 y
P A Metcalf1, R K R Scragg, S Sharpe
1Division of Community Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. p.metcalf@auckland.ac.nz
Insights
This study assessed the repeatability of a children's food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in New Zealand. The FFQ demonstrated good repeatability across different genders, ethnicities, and age groups, making it a reliable tool for dietary assessment.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Dietary Assessment Methods
Background:
- Accurate dietary assessment is crucial for understanding child nutrition and health.
- Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are common tools, but their repeatability in diverse pediatric populations needs validation.
- Previous FFQs may have limitations in specific ethnic or age groups within New Zealand.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the repeatability of a newly developed 117-item children's food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
- To assess FFQ repeatability across different genders, ethnicities (Maori, Pacific, Other), and age groups (1-14 years) in New Zealand.
- To compare the FFQ's performance against established benchmarks for child and adolescent dietary assessment tools.
Main Methods:
- A 117-item FFQ assessing intake over the past 4 weeks was administered twice to 130 children (aged 1-14 years) in New Zealand, approximately 13 days apart.
- Participants were recruited using clustered probability sampling, including a convenience sample of Maori children.
- Food records from 428 children informed FFQ development, and reproducibility was tested in 130 children representing Maori, Pacific, and Other ethnic groups.
Main Results:
- Spearman correlations for FFQ repeatability ranged from 0.50 (bread) to 0.82 (fruit), with a median of 0.76 for spreads and non-milk drinks.
- Cronbach's alpha coefficients varied from 0.59 (bread) to 0.92 (non-milk drinks), with a median of 0.85 for mixed meat dishes.
- Repeatability was generally higher in boys than girls, in 'Other' ethnic groups compared to Maori and Pacific children, and slightly higher in the 1-4 year age group.
Conclusions:
- The developed children's food frequency questionnaire demonstrates good to excellent repeatability in the New Zealand pediatric population.
- The FFQ's performance is comparable or superior to other validated child and adolescent FFQs.
- This FFQ is a suitable tool for assessing dietary intake in diverse New Zealand children across various demographic groups.
Objective:
To evaluate the repeatability of a children's food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) by gender, ethnicity, and age group.
Design:
A 117-item FFQ asking about food intake patterns over the past 4 weeks was developed using food records from 428 children (204 boys and 224 girls) and the reproducibility on average 13 days apart was tested in 130 children (78 boys and 52 girls). Children were recruited using clustered probability sampling (n=103), and a convenience sample of 25 Maori children.
Setting:
Children aged 1-14 y from Auckland, Feilding and Shannon, New Zealand.
Subjects:
There were 71 Maori, 20 Pacific, and 39 Other children.
Results:
Spearman correlations between the two FFQs ranged from 0.50 for bread to 0.82 for fruit, with a median of 0.76 for spreads and nonmilk drinks, and Cronbach's coefficient alpha's ranged from 0.59 for bread to 0.92 for nonmilk drinks, with a median of 0.85 for mixed meat dishes. There were no significant differences between the two administrations, apart from reporting higher intakes of vegetables and snacks & sweets in the first FFQ. Correlation coefficients tended to be slightly higher in boys than in girls, and in Other ethnic groups compared to Maori and Pacific children. Correlations were slightly higher for the 1-4 y age group, intermediate in the 10-14 y age group, and lowest in the 5-9 y-old age group.
Conclusions:
Overall, the FFQ described here shows similar or better repeatability in New Zealand children of all major ethnic groups compared to other child or adolescent FFQs.
