Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Assessing Mineral Availability in Fish Feeds using Complementary Methods Demonstrated with the Example of Zinc in Atlantic Salmon
Published on: October 29, 2021
Zinc-specific food frequency questionnaire
1Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA.
Purpose:
A new dietary zinc assessment tool (ZAT) was evaluated to determine its usefulness in estimating zinc intakes among college students.
Methods:
A food frequency questionnaire specifically designed for calculating average zinc intakes was administered to university students who had also completed three-day food records. Zinc intakes from the two instruments were compared.
Results:
Among 171 participants (38 male, 133 female) aged 20.2 +/- 1.6 years (mean +/- standard deviation), the two dietary assessment methods were positively correlated (r=0.33, p<0.001). The ZAT correctly identified 76% of the women who were obtaining less than the National Academy of Sciences Recommended Dietary Allowance for zinc (8 mg/day for females, 11 mg/day for males).
Conclusions:
This convenient tool may assist in the identification of problematic dietary patterns at an early stage. Further design modifications and expanded studies are warranted.
