Assessing calcium intake in postmenopausal women.

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Dietary Assessment
• Public Health Nutrition

Background:

• Traditional dietary assessment methods may underestimate calcium intake from fortified foods.
• Increasing availability of calcium-fortified foods necessitates improved intake assessment tools.
• Understanding calcium sources and intake adequacy is crucial for postmenopausal women's health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a calcium-focused food frequency questionnaire (CFFFQ).
• To assess calcium intake and identify sources in Black and white postmenopausal women.
• To compare CFFFQ calcium intake estimates with 24-hour dietary recall.

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 46 Black and 139 white postmenopausal women participated.
• Participants completed a 46-item CFFFQ and a 24-hour dietary recall via multiple-pass interview.
• Statistical analyses included correlation, cross-tabulation, and Chi2 tests.

Main Results:

• The CFFFQ showed moderate correlation with 24-hour recall for total calcium (r=0.53) and dairy intake (r=0.56).
• CFFFQ estimated higher total daily calcium intake (1021 mg/d) compared to 24-hour recall (800 mg/d).
• 24-hour recall increasingly underreported calcium as intake increased; CFFFQ showed better specificity for lower intakes.

Conclusions:

• The CFFFQ effectively identifies postmenopausal women with inadequate calcium intake (<800 mg/d).
• Dairy products are the primary source of dietary calcium for both Black and white postmenopausal women.
• Older Black women were found to consume less daily calcium than older white women.