To compare the validity of a modified Block food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), a picture-sort administration of the FFQ (PSFFQ) and a meal pattern-based questionnaire (MPQ) in a multi-ethnic population of low socio-economic status (SES).

Participants completed six 24-hour dietary recalls (24HR) over six months; the FFQ, PSFFQ and MPQ were completed in random order in the subsequent month. Instruments were interviewer-administered. The PSFFQ and MPQ were developed in formative research concerning difficulties for older adults in responding to standard food-frequency instruments.

Rural North Carolina, USA.

One hundred and twenty-two African American, Native American and white adults aged ≥ 65 years, with approximately one-third in each ethnic group. Inclusion criteria included education ≤ 12 years and income ≤ 150% of national poverty level or Medicaid recipient.

Comparing median intakes from the average of the 24HR with the three diet assessment instruments, the MPQ tended to overestimate intakes compared with the FFQ and PSFFQ. Correlations among nutrients obtained by the 24HR and the other three instruments were generally statistically significant and positive. Across nutrients, the PSFFQ was most highly correlated with the 24HR for women, while the FFQ was most highly correlated with the 24HR for men.

Dietary assessments using 24HR and FFQ were similar to results reported elsewhere, although correlations between 24HR and FFQ were somewhat lower. Interviewer-administered dietary assessments should be used with caution to evaluate dietary intake among older adults with low SES. Gender differences and the lower correlations should be investigated more thoroughly to assist in choosing dietary assessment instruments for this population.

To describe food sources of nutrient intake for white and African American adults in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD), and their use in the development of a regional food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) based on an earlier version of the National Cancer Institute's Health Habits and History Questionnaire.

We ranked food sources of energy, macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, and examined portion size distributions for 842 white and 857 African American residents aged 19 years and older, using 24-hour dietary intake recall data from a telephone survey of 36 LMD counties. These values were used to develop a regional FFQ, which was then field-tested with 100 subjects and revised to improve interpretability.

The LMD region of the USA.

White and African American adult residents of the LMD.

LMD African Americans obtained more of their energy and nutrient intakes from poultry, processed meat, salty snacks, fruit drinks, pork and cornbread; and less from milk, alcohol, legumes, salad dressing, butter/margarine and sweetened tea than did white residents. Regional foods not on nationally used FFQs included grits, turnip greens, okra, ham hocks, chitterlings, crawfish, catfish, cracklings, jambalaya, potato logs, chicken and dumplings, and sweet potato pie. Based on responses during field-testing, the questionnaire was also designed to add four portion sizes for each food item, presented as questions, rather than in grid format.

Regional food use patterns differ from national patterns and furthermore differ between African American and white adults in the LMD. The resulting Delta NIRI FFQ for Adults should contribute to improved assessment of usual intake for use in studies of diet and health in this region.

To assess the quality of a narrative form diet history (DH).

Reproducibility assessed with data obtained at 6-week intervals. Criterion validity assessed using energy intake to estimated energy expenditure (EI: BMR) cut-off limits. Relative validity assessed by comparing results for energy and macronutrients at baseline and month 2 of an intervention trial with those obtained from 3-day food records (FR).

Community-based dietary intervention trials for the study of metabolic syndrome in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.

Reproducibility: 43 healthy female volunteers. Mean age 58.72 years (range 50–67), mean body mass index (BMI) 25.79 (range 21–36). Validity: 45 healthy volunteers—18 males (mean age 46.9 years, mean BMI 27.8), and 27 females (mean age 45.7 years, mean BMI 26.2), attending a study on the effect of diet on metabolic variables.

Reproducibility: wide SD values indicated a high degree of intraindividual variation, but correlation coefficients were comparable to those of similar studies. Validity: underreporting was inconsistent with individuals, but was greater with the DH than the FR at each stage of the dietary trial (significant at month 1, P > 0.01). Underreporters indicated higher intakes of protein during the trial (P > 0.05). Weaker associations were found between the DH and FR data for energy values, but there was strong agreement for per cent fat consumed as saturated and monounsaturated fat at each stage of the trial.

The narrative form DH performs as well as standardized interviews, but more work needs to be done at the micro level, focusing on aspects which deal with foods likely to be underreported in the particular study context. This can be achieved through continued research using combined methodologies.

To describe methodological issues regarding the measurement of food intake of marginal populations in the north-west of Mexico.

Dietary data from three sources were analysed. The Sonora State Food Basket Study (505 individuals from all ages, both sexes, high, medium and low income, and from urban and rural settings), 144 individuals from rural Indian communities, and 152 low-income urban women. Methods of dietary data collection were single 24-hour recalls for the first two studies, and four non-consecutive 24-hour recalls as well as a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for low-income urban women.

The food patterns in the three studies showed similar core foods; however, food diversity resulted in 19, 13 and 57 different foods reported by 90% of the population in the state, Indian communities and urban women, respectively. Mean intakes of selected food components in the sample of urban women vs. a representative sample of the population of the state were similar, although smaller variation in consumption was observed in urban women with repeated 24-hour recalls. Inter-individual variation in intake of food components was similar in the state and urban women samples, but the Indian communities showed lower coefficients of variation (CVs). Use of four 24-hour recalls decreased the inter-individual variation in food component intakes of low-income urban women, especially for vitamin intakes. The FFQ did not show an additional decrease in inter-individual variation for macronutrients, but reduced even more the CVs for vitamins. Intra-individual variation was higher than inter-individual variation for urban women's intakes when estimated by repeated 24-hour recalls. This effect was reversed when estimated by duplicate food frequencies. Ratios of intra-individual to inter-individual variation in food intake were lower for Mexican when compared with US women. These results should be considered, especially for association analysis of low-income women's diets and health outcomes.

To review existing methods and illustrate the use of a new, simple method for identifying inaccurate reports of dietary energy intake (rEI).

Comparison of rEI with energy requirements estimated by using total energy expenditure predicted (pTEE) from age, weight, height and sex using a previously published equation. Propagation of error calculations was performed and cut-offs for excluding rEI at plus or minus two standard deviations (±2 SD) and ±1 SD for the agreement between rEI and pTEE were established.

Dietary survey in a US national cohort: the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), 1994–96.

Men and non-pregnant, non-lactating women aged 21–45 years in the CSFII who provided two multiple-pass 24-hour recalls, height and weight(n = 3755).

Average rEI was 77% of pTEE in men, and 64% of pTEE in women. Calculated cut-offs were rEI <40% or >160% of pTEE (±2 SD) and <70% or >130% of pTEE (±1 SD), respectively. Use of only the ±1 SD cut-offs, not the ±2 SD cut-offs, resulted in a relationship between rEI and body weight similar to what was expected (based on an independently calculated relationship between rEI and measured TEE). Exclusion of rEI outside either the ±2 SD (11% of subjects) or ±1 SD (57% of subjects) cut-offs did not affect mean reported macronutrient intakes, but did markedly affect relationships between dietary composition and body mass index.

When examining relationships between diet and health, use of ±1 SD cut-offs may be preferable to ±2 SD cut-offs for excluding inaccurate dietary reports.