Online Arabic Beverage Frequency Questionnaire (ABFQ): evaluation of validity and reliability

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Dietary Assessment Methodology
• Middle Eastern Health Research

Background:

• Obesity and chronic diseases are major public health concerns in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
• Beverage consumption is strongly linked to obesity and chronic diseases, necessitating accurate assessment tools.
• Existing beverage assessment tools are not available for the Arabic-speaking population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an online Arabic Beverage Frequency Questionnaire (ABFQ).
• To assess total beverage intake among the Arabic-speaking population.
• To provide a culturally relevant tool for dietary assessment in the MENA region.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional validation study involving 49 healthy adults (18-55 years).
• Participants completed the 24-item ABFQ twice and provided a 24-hour urine sample.
• Validity assessed by comparing ABFQ consumption with 24-hour urine osmolality; reliability tested using repeated ABFQ measures.

Main Results:

• The ABFQ demonstrated acceptable reliability across most beverage categories (r=0.4-0.9, p<0.05).
• No statistically significant correlation was found between ABFQ and urine osmolality for validity (r=-0.2, p=0.12).
• No significant differences in mean total beverage consumption were found between the two ABFQ administrations.

Conclusions:

• The ABFQ is a reliable and reproducible tool for assessing beverage consumption in Arabic speakers.
• Validation using 24-hour urine osmolality alone was insufficient; further validation with methods like multi-day dietary records is recommended.
• The ABFQ can aid in public health policy, research, and community initiatives related to beverage intake in the MENA region.