Completion Rates of Food Frequency Questionnaires and Food Records in People with Chronic Conditions: Systematic...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Dietary assessment tools are vital for understanding food intake and informing nutrition research.
• Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) and Food Records (FRs) are commonly used but face variable completion rates, potentially impacting data quality and study findings.
• This review synthesizes evidence on FFQ and FR completion rates in populations with chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on the completion rates of dietary assessment tools (FFQs and FRs) in observational studies involving individuals with chronic conditions.
• To identify factors influencing completion rates, such as tool type, format, participant age, and specific chronic conditions.
• To provide insights for improving dietary data collection feasibility in future research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for observational studies published between January 2015 and May 2025.
• Inclusion of studies using FFQs or FRs in individuals with chronic conditions, with methodological quality assessed using the Hoy Risk of Bias tool.
• Subgroup meta-analyses to estimate pooled mean completion proportions and assess heterogeneity using the I² statistic, adhering to PRISMA guidelines.

Main Results:

• A total of 88 studies with 84,579 participants were included, revealing a pooled mean completion rate of 79.1% for FFQs and FRs combined.
• Significant heterogeneity was observed (I² statistic), indicating considerable variability in completion rates across studies.
• Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) had higher completion rates (80.6%) than Food Records (FRs) (74.3%). Electronic formats outperformed paper formats, and completion rates were higher in adults than in pediatric cohorts. Kidney disease populations showed the highest completion rates.

Conclusions:

• Dietary assessment completion rates in chronic condition populations are variable, underscoring the need for tailored data collection strategies.
• Electronic formats and FFQs generally yield higher completion rates compared to paper-based methods and FRs.
• Special attention and adapted approaches are necessary for pediatric and complex patient groups to enhance dietary assessment feasibility and data quality in research.