[Good reproducibility of a 14-item food frequency questionnaire for cardiovascular prevention in students]

Diet is a modifiable risk factor of atherosclerosis. A 14-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) has been developed. The reproducibility of this FFQ is unknown in a student population whereas its use could be of interest.

This FFQ allows calculating different scores for different food groups involved in cardiovascular disease. The vascular dietary score (VDS) can be calculated. The VSD ranges from -17 to +19. The higher the VSD, the better diet. Reproducibility was assessed in sports faculty students using mean tests comparing measurement 1 and 2 (minimum time interval ≥ 7 days) and intra-class correlation (ICC) tests.

Thirty students (50% men) were included in a French Sports Faculty. Time between two FFQ assessments was 19 ± 9 days. Mean VSD was 0.50 ± 3.70 for the first assessment and 0.30 ± 3.14 for the second one (non significant). Any score for each food group was statistically significant between the first and the second measurement. ICC of VSD was 0.68 [95% confidence interval: 0.43-0.83].

This FFQ that assesses a risky vascular diet has good reproducibility. This tool could be useful for large studies involving students.