Comparative validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (MyUM Adolescent FFQ) to estimate the habitual dietary intake of adolescents in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Mohamed, Khairunnisa, Tin, Tin Su, Jalaludin, Muhammad Yazid, Al-Sadat, Nabilla, Majid, Hazreen Abdul
• Format: Article
• Published: HEC Press 2018
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/21254/; https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=762416675512829;res=IELHEA

Background and Objectives: The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a dietary tool used to assess the habitual intake of the population. The goal of this study is to examine the reproducibility and validity of the FFQ that was developed for a multi-ethnic population in Malaysia. Methods and study design: Collective food data from MyHeARTs 2012 database were used to construct the MyUM Adolescent FFQ. Seventy-eight participants between 13 and 15 years old in 2014 were selected through convenient sampling for test - retest study. They completed the MyUM Adolescent FFQ twice, with an interval period of one week. One hundred and fifty-six MyHeARTs study participants who were 15 years old in 2014 were randomly selected for this comparative validity study. They completed a 7-day diet history (7DDH) and subsequently completed the self-administered MyUM Adolescent FFQ. Results: Pearson's correlations between the FFQ and 7DDH for all macronutrients were statistically significant. Energy-adjusted correlations for protein, carbohydrate, and fat were 0.54, 0.63 and 0.49 respectively. Most of the micronutrients and minerals, were statistically correlated ranging from 0.31 to 0.49 after energy adjustment. Cross-classification analyses revealed that more than 70 percent of adolescents were classified into either the same or adjacent quartile of nutrient intake when comparing data of 7DDH and FFQ. No serious systematic bias was evident in the Bland-Altman plots. Conclusion: The 200-item FFQ developed for Malaysian adolescents has moderate to good comparative validity for assessment of macronutrient and micronutrient intake.