Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T00:35:49.556Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reliability and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire for Chinese postmenopausal women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Liangzhi Xu ,
Michael J Dibley  and
Catherine D'Este
Liangzhi Xu*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Second West China Hospital, West China Medical Centre, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, People's Republic ofChina
Michael J Dibley
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), School of Medical Practice and Population Health, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Catherine D'Este
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), School of Medical Practice and Population Health, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives:

(1) To determine the reliability and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use in epidemiological research in postmenopausal women; and (2) to compare the volume estimation (VE) and weight estimation (WE) method of administration of this questionnaire.

Design:

An initial list of foods was derived and modified after pre-testing in 22 subjects. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 21 subjects who had repeat administrations of the questionnaire 14 days apart (FFQ1, FFQ2). The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing nutrient intakes with those from a 4-day food record.

Setting:

Chengdu, People's Republic of China.

Subjects:

Twenty-two postmenopausal women (50–70 years) were recruited from The Second University Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu and participated in the pre-test. Another 21 women (50–70 years) were randomly selected from the general population of all five districts of Chengdu and participated in the reliability and validity sub-studies.

Results:

Energy, protein, carbohydrate, magnesium and sodium intakes in this sample were less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for 45–70-year-old women in China. Intake of non-cooking fat was higher than the Chinese RDA. Pearson correlation coefficients and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability of the VE FFQ ranged from 0.51 to 0.85 and from 0.51 to 0.81, respectively; for the WE FFQ, they ranged from 0.22 to 0.86 and from 0.21 to 0.81. Correlation coefficients and ICCs for validity of the WE FFQ ranged from 0.36 to 0.69 and from 0.34 to 0.57, respectively; corresponding values for the VE FFQ were −0.30 to 0.65 and −0.14 to 0.65.

Conclusions:

Both the VE and WE FFQs were reliable and valid except for sodium intake. The VE FFQ provided more valid estimates of nutrient intakes than did the WE FFQ.

Keywords

Food-frequency questionnaireNutrient intakeReliabilityValidityPostmenopausal womenChina
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , February 2004 , pp. 91 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © CAB International 2004

References

1Willett, W Food-frequency methods. In: Willet, W, ed. Nutritional Epidemiology, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998; 74–100.Google Scholar
2Hsu-Hage, BH, Wahlqvist, ML. A food frequency questionnaire for use in Chinese populations and its validation. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1992; 1 211–23.Google ScholarPubMed
3Xu, L, Porteous, JE, Phillips, MR, Zheng, S. Development and validation of a calcium intake questionnaire for the Chinese postmenopausal population. Annals of Epidemiology 2000; 10(3): 169–75.Google Scholar
4Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene. Food Composition Table. Beijing: People's Health Press, 1992 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
5Bureau of Standardisation of the People's Republic of China. National Standardisation of Food Hygiene (2), 2nd ed. Beijing: Chinese Standardisation Press, 1995.Google Scholar
6Bureau of Standardisation of the People's Republic of China. National Standardisation of Food Hygiene (4), 1st ed. Beijing: Chinese Standardisation Press,1997.Google Scholar
7Morton, AP, Dobson, AJ. Assessing agreement. Medical Journal of Australia 1989; 150(7): 384–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Hu, JF, Zhao, XH, Jia, JB, Parpia, B, Campbell, TC. Dietary calcium and bone density among middle-aged and elderly women in China. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1993; 58(2): 219–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Woo, J, Leung, SS, Ho, SC, Lam, TH, Janus, ED. Dietary intake and practices in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1998; 52(10): 631–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Chinese Nutrition Society. Chinese recommended dietary allowance. Acta Nutrimenta Sinica 1989; 11(1): 93–6.Google Scholar
11Rohan, TE, Potter, JD. Retrospective assessment of dietary intake. American Journal of Epidemiology 1984; 120(6): 876–87.Google Scholar
12Willett, WC, Sampson, L, Stampfer, MJ, Rosner, B, Bain, C, Witschi, J, et al. Reproducibility and validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. American Journal of Epidemiology 1985; 122(1): 51–65.Google Scholar
13Byers, T, Marshall, J, Anthony, E, Fiedler, R, Zielezny, M. The reliability of dietary history from the distant past. American Journal of Epidemiology 1987; 125(6): 999–1011.Google Scholar
14Martin-Moreno, JM, Boyle, P, Gorgojo, L, Maisonneuve, P, Fernandez-Rodriguez, JC, Salvini, S et al. Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire in Spain. International Journal of Epidemiology 1993; 22(3): 512–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Goldbohm, RA, van't Veer, P, van den Brandt, PA, van't Hof, MA, Brants, HA, Sturmans, F, et al. Reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire and stability of dietary habits determined from five annually repeated measurements. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1995; 49(6): 420–9.Google Scholar
16Mannisto, S, Virtanen, M, Mikkonen, T, Pietinen, P. Reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire in a case–control study on breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1996; 49(4): 401–9.Google Scholar
17Friis, S, Kruger Kjaer, S, Stripp, C, Overvad, K. Reproducibility and relative validity of a self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire applied to younger women. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1997; 50(3): 303–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18EPIC Group of Spain. Relative validity and reproducibility of a diet history questionnaire in Spain. II. Nutrients. International Journal of Epidemiology 1997; 26(Suppl. 1): S100–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Riboli, E, Toniolo, P, Kaaks, R, Shore, RE, Casagrande, C, Pasternack, BS. Reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire used in the New York University Women's Health Study: effect of self-selection by study subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997; 51(7): 437–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Egami, I, Wakai, K, Kato, K, Lin, Y, Kawamura, T, Tamakoshi, A, et al. A simple food frequency questionnaire for Japanese diet – Part II. Reproducibility and validity for nutrient intakes. Journal of Epidemiology 1999; 9(4): 227–34.Google Scholar
21Shimizu, H, Ohwaki, A, Kurisu, Y, Takatsuka, N, Ido, M, Kawakami, N, et al. Validity and reproducibility of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for a cohort study in Japan. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 1999; 29(1): 38–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Larkin, FA, Metzner, HL, Thompson, FE, Flegal, KM, Guire, KE. Comparison of estimated nutrient intakes by food frequency and dietary records in adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1989; 89(2): 215–23.Google Scholar
23Beaton, G. Interpretation of results from diet history studies. In: Kohlmeier, L, ed. The Diet History Method. London: Smith- Gordon, 1991; 15–38.Google Scholar
24Chen, J, Campbell, TC, Li, J, Peto, R. Diet, Life-style and Mortality in China. A Study of the Characteristics of 65 Chinese Counties, 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.Google Scholar
25Willett, WC, Sampson, L, Browne, ML, Stampfer, MJ,Rosner, B, Hennekens, CH, et al. The use of a self-administered questionnaire to assess diet four years in the past. American Journal of Epidemiology 1988; 127(1): 188–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Block, G, Woods, M, Potosky, A, Clifford, C. Validation of a self-administered diet history questionnaire using multiple diet records. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1990; 43(12): 1327–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27Tjonneland, A, Overvad, K, Haraldsdottir, J, Bang, S, Ewertz, M, Jensen, OM. Validation of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire developed in Denmark. International Journal of Epidemiology 1991; 20(4): 906–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Callmer, E, Riboli, E, Saracci, R, Akesson, B, Lindgarde, F. Dietary assessment methods evaluated in the Malmo food study. Journal of Internal Medicine 1993; 233(1): 53–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Horwath, CC. Validity of a short food frequency questionnaire for estimating nutrient intake in elderly people. British Journal of Nutrition 1993; 70(1): 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Bingham, SA, Gill, C, Welch, A, Day, K, Cassidy, A, Khaw, KT, et al. Comparison of dietary assessment methods in nutritional epidemiology: weighed records v. 24h recalls, food-frequency questionnaires and estimated-diet records. British Journal of Nutrition 1994; 72(4): 619–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Goldbohm, RA, van den Brandt, PA, Brants, HA, van't Veer, P, Al, M, Sturmans, F, et al. Validation of a dietary questionnaire used in a large-scale prospective cohort study on diet and cancer. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1994; 48(4): 253–65.Google Scholar
32Jain, M, Howe, GR, Rohan, T. Dietary assessment in epidemiology: comparison of food frequency and a diet history questionnaire with a 7-day food record. American Journal of Epidemiology 1996; 143(9): 953–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Riboli, E, Elmstahl, S, Saracci, R, Gullberg, B, Lindgarde, F. The Malmo Food Study: validity of two dietary assessment methods for measuring nutrient intake. International Journal of Epidemiology 1997; 26(1): S161–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34Baumgartner, KB, Gilliland, FD, Nicholson, CS, McPherson, RS, Hunt, WC, Pathak, DR, et al. Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women in New Mexico. Ethnicity & Disease 1998; 8(1): 81–92.Google ScholarPubMed
35Klipstein Grobusch, K, den Breeijen, JH, Goldbohm, RA, Geleijnse, JM, Hofman, A, Grobbee, DE, et al. Dietary assessment in the elderly: validation of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 52(8): 588–96.Google Scholar
36Wolk, A, Ljung, H, Vessby, B, Hunter, D, Willett, WC. Effect of additional questions about fat on the validity of fat estimates from a food frequency questionnaire. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 52(3): 186–92.Google Scholar
37Jain, M, McLaughlin, J. Validity of nutrient estimates by food frequency questionnaires based either on exact frequencies or categories. Annals of Epidemiology 2000; 10(6): 354–60.Google Scholar
38Brunner, E, Stallone, D, Juneja, M, Bingham, S, Marmot, M. Dietary assessment in Whitehall II: comparison of 7d diet diary and food-frequency questionnaire and validity against biomarkers. British Journal of Nutrition 2001; 86(3): 405–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Parent, M, Krondl, M, Chow, R. Reconstruction of past calcium intake patterns during adulthood. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1993; 93(6): 649–52.Google Scholar
40Barrett Connor, E. Nutrition epidemiology: how do we know what they ate? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1991; 54(Suppl. 1): 182S–7S.Google Scholar
41Eck, LH, Klesges, RC, Hanson, CL, Slawson, D, Portis, L, Lavasque, ME. Measuring short-term dietary intake: development and testing of a 1-week food frequency questionnaire. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1991; 91(8): 940–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42The World Bank World development indicators. World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993; 227–304.Google Scholar
43Woo, J, Leung, S. A food frequency questionnaire for use in the Chinese population in Hong Kong: description and examination of validity. Nutrition Research 1997; 17 1633–41.Google Scholar
44Hankin, J. Development of a diet history questionnaire for studies of older persons. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1989; 50:(Suppl. 5): 1121–7.Google ScholarPubMed
45Pietinen, P, Hartman, AM, Haapa, E, Rasanen, L, Haapakoski, J, Palmgren, J, et al. Reproducibility and validity of dietary assessment instruments. I. A self-administered food use questionnaire with a portion size picture booklet. American Journal of Epidemiology 1988; 128(3): 655–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46Willett, W, Lenart, E. Reproducibility and validity of foodfrequency questionnaires. In: Willett, W, ed. Nutritional Epidemiology, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998; 101–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar