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Improving quality of Food Frequency Questionnaire response in low-income Mexican American children
Oralia Garcia-Dominic1, Roberto P Treviño, Roger M Echon
1Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Insights
The Block Kid Screener (BKScreener) provided better dietary data than the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ) for Mexican American children in Texas classrooms. This finding is crucial for childhood obesity and diabetes control programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood obesity and diabetes are significant public health concerns, particularly in Mexican American populations.
- Accurate dietary assessment tools are essential for intervention programs like Proyecto Bienestar Laredo.
- The Texas-Mexico border region faces unique challenges in addressing these health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ) and the Block Kid Screener (BKScreener).
- To compare the data quality obtained from BKFFQ and BKScreener in Mexican American children.
- To determine the suitability of these tools within school-based health programs.
Main Methods:
- Two hundred seventy-six Mexican American children (aged 8) from Laredo, Texas, participated.
- Dietary intake was assessed using BKFFQ and BKScreener.
- An expert panel classified response quality; reliability was assessed via test-retest in 138 students.
Main Results:
- The Block Kid Screener (BKScreener) yielded better data quality compared to the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ).
- Response quality was assessed based on completion rates and systematic patterns.
- Reliability was evaluated through test-retest analysis.
Conclusions:
- The BKScreener is a more suitable dietary assessment tool than the BKFFQ for Mexican American children in classroom settings.
- Findings support the use of BKScreener in school-based interventions targeting obesity and diabetes.
- Optimizing dietary assessment is key for effective public health initiatives in vulnerable populations.
Abstract:
The authors evaluated the validity and reliability of the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ) and the Block Kid Screener (BKScreener) in Mexican American children living along the Texas-Mexico border who participated in the National Institutes of Health-funded Proyecto Bienestar Laredo. The Bienestar/NEEMA health program is a school-based diabetes and obesity control program, and the Proyecto Bienestar Laredo is the translation of the Bienestar/NEEMA health program to 38 elementary schools in Laredo, Texas. Par ticipants included 2,376 eight-year-old boys (48%) and girls (52%) from two school districts in Laredo. Two Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ and BKScreener) dietary intakes were collected, and an expert panel of nutritionist assigned a classification response quality of "Good," "Questionable," and "Poor," based on playfulness (systematic or nonrandom) patterns and completion rates. In addition, both instruments were assessed for reliability (test-retest) in 138 students from a San Antonio School District. Children's height, weight, percentage body fat, reported family history of diabetes, and Texas Assessments of Knowledge and Skills in reading and mathematics scores were collected. This study showed that for Mexican American children living along the Texas-Mexico border, within the time constraints of the classroom, BKScreener yielded better data than the BKFFQ.
