Mal J Nutr 17(1): 31-41, 2011

Development, Validity and Reproducibility of a FoodFrequency Questionnaire in Pregnancy for the Universiti Sains Malaysia Birth Cohort Study
Loy SL¹, Marhazlina M¹, Nor Azwany Y² & Hamid Jan JM¹ *
¹Nutrition Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
²Community Medicine Department, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia


ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aimed to develop and examine the validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among Malay pregnant women in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 177 Malay pregnant women participated in the validation study while 85 of them participated in the reproducibility study which was carried out in the antenatal clinic of Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital. The newly developed FFQ was validated against two 24-hour dietary recalls (DR). The FFQ was repeated 20 to 28 days apart. Results: Results showed that the FFQ moderately over estimated the nutrient and food intakes compared to the DR. Spearman correlation coefficients for nutrients ranged from 0.24 (fat) to 0.61 (calcium) and for foods, ranged from 0.13 (organ meats, onion and garlic) to 0.57 (malt drink). For nutrients, 72 to 85% of women were classified into the correct quartiles from the FFQ and the DR while for foods, 67 to 85% of women were classified correctly. Bland-Altman plot showed relatively good agreement between these two dietary methods. The intra-class correlation (ICC) was used to estimate reproducibility. It ranged from 0.75 (vitamin C) to 0.94 (phosphorus) for nutrients while it ranged from 0.73 (confectionary) to 0.96 (coffee) for foods. Conclusion: On average, at least 90% of pregnant women were correctly classified into the quartiles for nutrients and foods from the two sets of the FFQ. The FFQ presented acceptable reproducibility and appears to be a valid tool for categorising pregnant women according to dietary intake.

Keywords: Assessment of nutritional status, diet, food frequency questionnaire, maternal nutrition.


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