Criterion Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire for Mexican American Adults

Background: The purpose of this study was to validate the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for Mexican American adults (SPAN MAA). Methods: A sample of 100 Mexican American adult participants was drawn from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (on the Texas−Mexico border). We used Spearman rank order correlation coefficients, kappa statistics, and percent agreement to compare the SPAN MAA questionnaire to a 24 h recall collected on the same day. Results: Of 100 participants, 93 were included in the analyses. One item showed substantial (>0.6), five items moderate (>0.4), five items fair (>0.2) and three items little to no agreement (<0.2). Items with low agreement were those reported in low frequencies by study participants. Conclusions: SPAN MAA FFQ had moderate to fair agreement between instruments across both sexes, making this brief questionnaire a useful tool to quickly assess the dietary intake patterns of Mexican American adults.