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Title: A 7-ITEM VERSUS A 31-ITEM FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR MEASURING FRUIT, JUICE AND VEGETABLE INTAKE AMONG A PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION

Author
item WARNEKE, CARLA - UNIV OF GEORGIA
item DAVIS, MARSHA - UNIV OF MINNESOTA
item DEMOOR, CARL - UT MD ANDERSON CANCER CTR
item Baranowski, Thomas

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2001
Publication Date: 7/1/2001
Citation: Warneke,C., Davis,M., De Moor,C., Baranowski,T. 2001. A 7-item versus 31-item food frequency questionnaire for measuring fruit, juice, and vegetable intake among a predominantly African-American population. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 101(7):774-779.

Interpretive Summary: This study sought to determine which of 2 fruit and vegetable food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) most closely approximated intake measured by the average of four 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants completed either a 31-item FFQ (n = 70) or 7-item FFQ (n = 76) on 2 occasions approximately 2 weeks apart. During the interval between FFQs participants provided four 24-hour dietary recalls via telephone interview. Participants were 146 persons with food preparation responsibilities in families of students in grades 3 through 5. Respondents were predominantly African-American women in Atlanta, Ga. Pearson correlation coefficients of log-transformed values estimated the reliability of each FFQ and compared FFQ estimates to reference values. The intraclass correlation coefficient evaluated consistency across 24-hour recalls. The first FFQs overestimated intake approximately twofold. The 31-item FFQ estimates exceeded 7-item FFQ estimates by approximately 30% . Correlations with recall estimates were high for the 7-item FFQ and moderate to low for the 31-item FFQ. The second FFQ estimates were more highly correlated to reference values. From the first to the second administration, 7-item FFQ estimates dropped from 5.2 to 2.7 servings, and 31-item FFQ estimates dropped from 6.7 to 3.5 servings. Neither FFQ produced highly reliable estimates. In summary, mean total fruit and vegetable consumption was closer to reference estimates for the first 7-item FFQ and the second 31-item FFQ. The 7-item FFQ correlated more highly with reference estimates than did the 31-item FFQ. Therefore, we conclude that for African-American adults, a 1-time-administered FFQ using 7 broad food categories correlates more highly with reference values than a FFQ using 31 individual fruit and vegetable items.

Technical Abstract: This study sought to determine which of 2 fruit and vegetable food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) most closely approximated intake measured by the average of four 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants completed either a 31-item FFQ (n = 70) or 7-item FFQ (n = 76) on 2 occasions approximately 2 weeks apart. During the interval between FFQs participants provided four 24-hour dietary recalls via telephone interview. Participants were 146 persons with food preparation responsibilities in families of students in grades 3 through 5. Respondents were predominantly African-American women in Atlanta, Ga. Pearson correlation coefficients of log-transformed values estimated the reliability of each FFQ and compared FFQ estimates to reference values. The intraclass correlation coefficient evaluated consistency across 24-hour recalls. The first FFQs overestimated intake approximately twofold. The 31-item FFQ estimates exceeded 7-item FFQ estimates by approximately 30% . Correlations with recall estimates were high for the 7-item FFQ and moderate to low for the 31-item FFQ. The second FFQ estimates were more highly correlated to reference values. From the first to the second administration, 7-item FFQ estimates dropped from 5.2 to 2.7 servings, and 31-item FFQ estimates dropped from 6.7 to 3.5 servings. Neither FFQ produced highly reliable estimates. In summary, mean total fruit and vegetable consumption was closer to reference estimates for the first 7-item FFQ and the second 31-item FFQ. The 7-item FFQ correlated more highly with reference estimates than did the 31-item FFQ. Therefore, we conclude that for African-American adults, a 1-time-administered FFQ using 7 broad food categories correlates more highly with reference values than a FFQ using 31 individual fruit and vegetable items.