Validity and Reliability of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to Assess Dietary Intake of Preschool Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Dietary Assessment Methods
• Public Health Nutrition

Background:

• Limited availability of validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) for preschool children.
• Accurate dietary assessment is crucial for monitoring nutritional status and preventing diet-related diseases in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of a modified FFQ for assessing the dietary intake of preschool children aged 4-6 years.
• To establish an evidence-based tool for nutritional research and surveillance in this age group.

Main Methods:

• A modified FFQ with 108 food items from 13 food groups was administered to 210 preschoolers.
• Validation involved comparison with a three-day estimated dietary record (3DR).
• Reliability was assessed by re-administering the FFQ to a subsample (n=66) after four weeks.

Main Results:

• Spearman's correlation coefficients indicated moderate to high correlations (p < 0.001) between the FFQ and 3DR for validation.
• Cross-classification analysis demonstrated moderate agreement between the FFQ and 3DR.
• High correlations (p < 0.001) and good agreement (Cronbach's alpha: 0.708-0.824; ICC: 0.710-0.826) were observed in reliability testing.

Conclusions:

• The modified FFQ demonstrates acceptable validity and good reliability for assessing preschool children's food intake.
• This FFQ is a suitable tool for use in research and clinical settings involving preschool-aged children.
• The findings contribute to the development of better dietary assessment tools for pediatric populations.