Development, Reproducibility, and Validity of a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Use among the Adult...

To date, there is no specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary habits in any of the French overseas regions.

This study aimed to describe the development of a culture and context-specific semiquantitative FFQ for use among the adult population in Reunion Island, to assess its reproducibility and its relative validity compared with 24-h dietary recalls (DRs).

The CARI (observatoire des Comportements Alimentaires à la RéunIon) FFQ was adapted from the NutriNet-Santé FFQ, with a revised list of 181 food and beverage items reflecting local dietary practices and nutritional concerns. To assess its reproducibility, the FFQ was administered twice, 4 wk apart, to a purposive sample of 108 adults in Reunion Island. During the same period, participants also completed a weekly DR to evaluate the FFQ's validity. Reproducibility and validity were assessed for 18 food groups, energy, and 38 nutrients using correlations, cross-classification, and weighted κ.

Regarding reproducibility, we found a median rank correlation of 0.56 (nutrients) and 0.64 (food groups). Most participants were correctly classified with a median of 78% (nutrients) and 83% (food group), whereas gross misclassification was low (2.8% and 0.9%, respectively). We found a median weighted κ of 0.44 (nutrients) and 0.47 (food groups). Regarding validity, we found a median crude rank correlation of 0.51 (nutrients) and 0.43 (food groups). Most participants were correctly classified with a median agreement of 71% for nutrients and of 68% for food groups, whereas gross misclassification was low (1.9% and 0.9%, respectively). We found a median weighted κ of 0.32 (nutrients) and 0.27 (food groups).

The CARI FFQ has a moderate to good level of validity for ranking food and nutrient intakes, and a good level of reproducibility, supporting its use for dietary assessment in Reunion Island.