Assessment of Validity and Reproducibility of the Zinc-Specific Dietary Intake Questionnaire Conducted for Young Polish Female Respondents

Abstract

One of the brief methods enabling the assessment of the zinc intake and identification of individuals characterized by insufficient zinc intake, is zinc-specific food frequency questionnaire. The aim of the study was to assess the validity and reproducibility of the elaborated zinc-specific food frequency questionnaire ZINC-FFQ (Zinc INtake Calculation—Food Frequency Questionnaire) in a group of young Polish female respondents. The validity was assessed in comparison with 3-day dietary records, while reproducibility was assessed for the ZINC-FFQ filled in twice (FFQ1 and FFQ2—six weeks apart). Bland–Altman indexes in the assessment of validity were 5.5% (FFQ1) and 6.7% (FFQ2), while in assessment of reproducibility it was 3.3%. In the assessment of reproducibility, 83% of respondents were classified into the same category of zinc intake adequacy and 72% of respondents were classified into the same tertile, that contributed to weighted κ statistic of 0.65 (substantial agreement). It may be concluded, that ZINC-FFQ is characterized by a validity on a satisfactory and reproducibility on a very good level, in a group of young Polish female respondents, and may be applied to indicate individuals characterized by the risk of insufficient intake.

Reproducibility of A Non-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (62-Item FFQ-6) and PCA-Driven Dietary Pattern Identification in 13–21-Year-Old Females

“…The findings related to the age groups should be particularly interpreted with caution (as tendency) due to the small number of respondents (31, 38, and 28). However, in FFQ validation studies, similarly numbered samples (in total 48–90) were previously reported in adolescents from Denmark [43], Brazil [41], New Zealand [11], and Norway [44], and also in young Polish females [17,20]. Furthermore, similarly numbered sub-samples (40–66) were analyzed across the age, sex, or ethnicity in children and adolescents [66] and adults [39,67].…”

“…All newly developed or modified FFQs have to be checked for reproducibility and relevance in respect to the population under study [1,5]. In Poland, there are a few semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires which have been developed for selected nutrients and validated in young adults, i.e., calcium [15], vitamin D [16], iron [17], iodine [18], folate [19], and zinc [20]; a short non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FIVeQ) developed to measure food intake variety in older people [21]; a full semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (165-item FFQ) compared with a 3-day food record in young females [22,23]; and a non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (KomPAN®) whose reproducibility was assessed in adolescents and adults [24]. The 165-item FFQ is difficult to apply due to a large number of detailed questions, although it was successfully used to study dietary patterns and adverse health outcomes in adolescents [13].…”

Reproducibility of a Questionnaire for Dietary Habits, Lifestyle and Nutrition Knowledge Assessment (KomPAN) in Polish Adolescents and Adults

“…Firstly, the study was conducted in a large sample of men and women, adolescents and adults. Reproducibility and validation studies conducted previously among Poles were carried out in smaller samples [22,23,24,25,42], included solely young women or FFQs were developed for specific nutrient intake only [22,23,24,25]. Secondly, two diet quality scores have been developed based on the questionnaire [16] and the internal reliability and test-retest reproducibility of the diet quality scores were evaluated in the present study.…”

“…There were only a few similar studies from other countries reporting, for example, a comparison of a FFQ administered in various ways [20] or a validation of both interviewer-administered and self-administered FFQs against a reference method [21]. However, usually only one version of the questionnaire was the subject of research conducted in Poland [22,23,24,25] or other European countries [8,9,10,12]. According to a review of validation studies, 29% of FFQs were interviewer-administered and 71% of FFQs were self-administered [1].…”

Development and validation of the semi‐quantitative brief food frequency questionnaire to assess the magnesium intake in young women

“…The study included the development of the semi‐quantitative brief FFQ to assess the magnesium intake (Mg‐FFQ) and validation of the obtained FFQ in the Polish population of young women that was conducted using the same methodology as for previously developed brief FFQs for minerals and vitamins . The study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, and all participants provided their informed consent to participate.…”